Saving Britain’s Past

Episode: The Pit
Broadcast Info: 2009 (28 mins)
Description: In the 1980s while most pits in Britain faced closure one pit opened up not as a mine but as a museum. This is the story of a pit that defines Britain’s painful leap from an industrial to a post-industrial age. It’s a story of one community that fought to celebrate its industrial past and in the process became a beacon of hope for its community and the region.
Big Pit in Blaenavon, South Wales, once employed over a thousand men and was at the heart of the local community. But in 1980 the pit shut and a whole way of life was threatened. The fight to save Blaenavon’s history and heritage began with an improbable idea: to convert the mine into the first underground mining museum in Britain. Although initially successful it ran into problems in the early 90s when the Coal Board withdrew funding and once again Big Pit was threatened with closure. But Blaenavon fought back with an extraordinary bid for World Heritage status. Amazingly it was awarded it and with this recognition came millions of pounds in regeneration money and a new sense of pride for Blaenavon.
Local residents and historians recount their part in Blaenavon’s extraordinary fight for survival
coal pit closures 1980s underground mining museum industrial past Big Pit Blaenavon South Wales World Heritage status regeneration money
Genre: History; Architecture; Culture; Design

The Open University, "Saving Britain’s Past". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/8085 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)

The Open University