If you take a boat out and look back at the Whitehaven coast, you can see 250 years of mining history in one snapshot.  Saltom was the first under-sea mine to open, and Haig was the last one in Whitehaven to close.

In 1729 Saltom pit saw the start of deep, under-sea mining, and the start of mining as an identity for Whitehaven.  Spedding, who sank Saltom pit, also sank Thwaite, King, Duke, Moss and Kells pits on the surrounding cliffs. For the next 200 years, pit-heads spread along the coast, and tunnels spread out below the sea.  Haig pit was sunk between 1914-18, named for the Field-Marshal.

Back-to-Back housing and pit-head buildings came to dominate the elegant Georgian planned down.  Whitehaven was prosperous, although the mines were known as some of the most dangerous in the country.  Mining disasters dominated the news. In 1910 an explosion in Wellington pit killed 134 miners.

When Haig Pit closed in 1986, it was the last deep coal mine in Cumbria.  It was the end of an era.  Economic hardship was felt by many families.  At Haig Mining Museum many tell their stories – tales of hard and dangerous work, and a strong community spirit.