10:30am to 4pm
Mine Visits
Sat/Sun/B.Hols Only
Children/OAPs £2.00
Adults £4.00
Education Services
In the late 1990s Apedale Footrail coal mine cease trading and faced closure. Fortunately a plan was put forward to save some of the underground workings and make them into a tourist attraction and educational service.
Along with an interesting and informative museum, a welcoming café and the surrounding countryside of Apedale Community Country Park, we offer schools an excellent educational package linked to the National Curriculum.
The experience is like no other, as pupils actually have a guided tour underground and are surrounded by the unique atmosphere of a real coal mine that was once the workplace for hundreds of miners.
Near to the centre, in the country park, is the only visible coal seam in Staffordshire above ground. It is called Cannel Row and shows the angle of the seam below ground.
Much on the history of Apedale is associated with the extraction of its minerals - in particular coal, iron ore, sand and clay (marl), four of the main ingredients that powered the industrial revolution. Industries based on these mineral, such as mining, ironworks, quarrying and brick and tile manufacture grew and led to the rises in local population.