Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 01495-742333; visitblaenavon.co.uk; Church Rd; 9am-4pm Tue-Sun)
Housed in an artfully
converted old school, this centre houses a cafe, tourist office, gallery, gift shop and, more
importantly, excellent interactive, audiovisual displays that explore the industrial heritage
of the region.
Big Pit: National
Coal Museum
( 029-2057 3650;
www.museumwales.ac.uk
;
9.30am-5pm, guided tours 10am-3.30pm)
The atmo-
spheric Big Pit provides an opportunity to explore a real coal mine and get a taste of what
life was like for the miners who worked here up until 1980. Visitors descend 90m into the
mine and explore the tunnels and coalfaces in the company of an ex-miner guide. It's
sobering to experience something of the dark, dank working conditions, particularly con-
sidering that children once worked here by candlelight.
Above ground, you can see the pithead baths, blacksmith's workshop and other colliery
buildings, filled with displays on the industry and the evocative reminiscences of ex-
miners.
You'll be decked out in hard hat, power pack and other safety gear weighing some 5kg,
and won't be allowed to bring matches or anything electrical (including photo equipment
and watches) down with you. It's cold underground, so take extra layers and wear sturdy
shoes. Children must be at least 1m tall. Disabled visitors can arrange tours in advance.
MINE, MUSEUM
HISTORIC SITE
Blaenavon Ironworks
(
www.visitblaenavon.co.uk
;
North St; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-4pm Fri & Sat, 11am-4pm Sun Nov-Mar)
When it was completed in 1788, Blaenavon Ironworks was one of the most ad-
vanced of its kind in the world. Its three huge coal-fired blast furnaces were provided with
air that was powered by a steam engine, making them much more powerful than older,
smaller furnaces fired with charcoal and blasted with air from waterwheel-powered bel-
lows. Within a few years it was the world's second-biggest ironworks, after Cyfarthfa at
Merthyr Tydfil. Innovation and development continued here until 1904, when the last fur-
nace was finally shut down.
Today the site is one of the best-preserved of all the Industrial Revolution ironworks.
You can follow the whole process of production, from the charging of the furnaces to the
casting of molten iron in the casting sheds. Also on display are the ironworkers' tiny ter-
raced cottages. The surrounding hillsides are pitted with old tramlines, mines, tunnels and
