Pre-book your Job-A-Knock ticket
Job-A-Knock tickets, which give you a timed slot for your underground tour, are now available to pre-book, at £5 per person, for tours on weekends and during school holidays. You can still visit us without a Job-A-Knock ticket but you might have to wait for an underground tour: Pre-book your ticket
Plan Your Free Visit
Covid-19
The safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers is our priority. We encourage everyone to wear a face covering, use our hand sanitising stations and maintain physical distance where you can.
Opening Hours
February - November
9.30am-5.00pm. Last entry: 4.00pm. Underground tours: 10.00am-3.30pm.
Please call for December and January opening times.
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. For safety reasons, we reserve the right to conduct bag searches when entering the Museum.
Contact Us
Phone: 0300 111 2 333
Email: bigpit@museumwales.ac.uk
Parking
If you are arriving by car you will need to pay on arrival. £5 per day. FREE for disabled badge holders and motorbikes. This charge is for parking only – entry to the Museum remains free.
Job-A-Knock
Our Underground Tours take you to the heart of Big Pit. A £5 Job-A-Knock Ticket gives you the ability to book a timed slot for our Underground Tours in advance. The Job-A-Knock ticket allows visitors to join the queue for the Underground Tours at an allotted time period, The Underground Tours themselves are free for all visitors and the purchase of Job-A-Knock tickets is not compulsory.
For details please call 02920 573650.
Please note that Job-A-Knock tickets are not available on Bank Holidays, but the underground is open as normal.
Eat, drink, shop
- Our cafe serves a small range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and snacks.
- The Museum shop will be open during your visit.
- You are welcome to bring a picnic to the Museum.
Coach Groups
> Information for bus companies and tour operators regarding group visitsPre-booked groups benefit from:
- 10% off in the gift shop (£5pp min. spend)
- Complimentary refreshments for the coach driver (on production of ID).
What you will see when you visit
- The Underground Tour. Go 300 feet underground with your Guide and see what life was like for the thousands of men who worked at the coal face.
- King Coal: The Mining Galleries – an audio-visual experience telling the story of how the Welsh mining industry evolved.
- The Pit Head Baths building which houses four exhibition spaces and uses objects and images to tell the story of coal mining in Wales. Themes include children in the mines, health, home life and the mining communities. See how the life and work of a miner has changed from 1850 to 2000. Learning about the geology and uses of coal, mining disasters and rescue, discovering the role and impact of Trade Unions and Nationalisation, and get a closer look at some mining memorabilia.
- Coal cutting machinery in the Conservation Stores.
- View historic buildings and enjoy Blaenavon’s Industrial Landscape
Can I bring my dog?
Big Pit National Coal Museum is happy to welcome properly trained assistance dogs, except on the Underground Tour, but we do not allow any other animals into the museum buildings. Dogs (and emotional support animals) are allowed into the gardens and outdoor areas of the Museum, but must be kept on a short lead at all times.
General advice for visitors
- Big Pit is on the side of a steep hill and on a number of different levels and although there are ramps provided they are quite long and the climb can be arduous.
- The walking surface both above and below ground is typical of an industrial site. Please wear warm clothing and sensible footwear.
- The floor can be uneven or slippery in places and there are numerous steps to negotiate. Underground, there are one or two places where you will need to bend to avoid bumping your head.
- Staff will fit you with a helmet, lamp and belt before you go underground which will involve some close contact. If you have any concerns about this please let a member of staff know.
- During the underground tour visitors will be required to walk a distance of 700 metres wearing a helmet and carrying a lamp weighing 5 kg. This lamp is approved for the purpose by the HSE but lighting levels are generally lower than many visitors will be used to. Underground tours take approximately one hour.
Children
- Children must be at least 1metre in height for the underground tour. The safety equipment weighs around 5 kg, and each child must carry their own. However, some children who fulfill the height requirement may not be able to meet the physical demands of carrying the equipment. We judge each case individually and reserve the right to refuse entry to the underground tour.
- The simulated mining experience on the surface is available to all ages.
- There are a number of industrial machines that are suitable for children to sit in or on when supervised by an adult but this and other machinery can be dangerous if climbed on. We wish to remind all adults that the primary responsibility for the welfare of the children in their care rests with them at all times.
- Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Contraband
- Although Big Pit no longer produces coal, it is still classed as a coal mine under the Coal Mines Act. As such it is against the law to take smoking materials or incendiary substances underground.
- These include cigarettes, tobacco, matches and lighters, mobile phones, battery-operated watches and key fobs, calculators, radios, personal music players and all photographic equipment.
- This ‘contraband’ will be collected by our Guides before the underground tour and will be kept securely locked away on the surface and returned at the end of the tour.
Useful Information
- A minimum of 2 people per guided tour.
- Please telephone to check availability of underground tours (10am–3pm) during December, January & early February.
- Groups of ten or more should book in advance.
- Wheelchair users should book in advance for underground tours.
Support Us
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales is a charity. Every purchase you make from us and every gift you give us, however small or large, will help us ensure that Amgueddfa Cymru belongs to everyone and is here for everyone to use. Please donate if you can.
Find other attractions in the area:
Discover the story of Wales