Day Itinerary
2 Activities
Day 2
29 mi
Day 2. New Lanark and the Coal Mining Museum
In picturesque woodland Lanarkshire, near the spectacular Clyde Falls, is perhaps the most striking example of the industrial heritage of the past - the former weaving mill, now the New Lanark Museum. But the word 'museum' doesn't do justice to this unique set of 18th- and 19th-century industrial, residential and social structures set against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery.
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29.2 mi
50 min
10:002 hrs
New Lanark
In 1786, Glasgow banker and entrepreneur David Dale built a factory near the village of Lanark to process cotton and produce cloth. Over time, it passed into the ownership of David Dale's son-in-law - Robert Owen, whose name went down in the history of British industrialism and socialist utopianism of the XIX century. It is to Owen that the heyday of New Lanark is associated. Robert Owen began to introduce not only technical and managerial innovations, but also social and educational reforms for workers, dreaming of creating an "ideal socialist commune" on the example of his enterprise.
During the tour you will visit not only the company itself but also workers' houses. These are multi-storey apartment houses in which a family had several rooms, running water and a toilet. And all this - in the XIX century!
And the factory itself - a very interesting interactive museum with the introduction of modern digital technology, video and audio effects. You will be invited to sit in a suspended armchair and take a journey through 200 years of the unique history of the factory, accompanied by images of its employees from different periods, appearing now and then on your way.
The factory has changed hands several times. It did not come to an end until 1968. Later, a trust was set up to preserve the historical, cultural and industrial heritage of the area. As a result of the efforts of the trust's partner organizations, New Lanark was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
During the tour you will visit not only the company itself but also workers' houses. These are multi-storey apartment houses in which a family had several rooms, running water and a toilet. And all this - in the XIX century!
And the factory itself - a very interesting interactive museum with the introduction of modern digital technology, video and audio effects. You will be invited to sit in a suspended armchair and take a journey through 200 years of the unique history of the factory, accompanied by images of its employees from different periods, appearing now and then on your way.
The factory has changed hands several times. It did not come to an end until 1968. Later, a trust was set up to preserve the historical, cultural and industrial heritage of the area. As a result of the efforts of the trust's partner organizations, New Lanark was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
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13:302 hrs
National Mining Museum Scotland
The National Coal Museum was established on the site of the historic Lady Victoria Mine, which began operations in 1895 and ended in 1981. It is one of Europe's finest examples of a Victorian coal mine that has survived to the present day.
You can follow the development and improvement of coal mining for nearly one hundred years. Visitors can see an ancient steam-driven pumping station and a later boiler house, a power station built in the 1920s, the mine adit shaft, an ancient chimney, a brick building with a backhoe and a long table (a coal receiving station) built in 1906-1914, and a washer - room for washing the rock. Of particular interest is the brick vaulted cellar with underground access roads. Here, just like in a museum, you can find specially installed wagons, in which coal was loaded ready for shipment. Visitors will also learn that the trolleys with coal were lifted to the surface and transported by pony. Over thirty years, 120 ponies have worked at the Lady Victoria Mine!
A very interesting exposition in the restored mine building. There are various machines and mechanisms, tools and personal things of the miners, e.g. pewter boats for lunch in the pit. Why pewter? So that the mice from the innumerable underground wouldn't eat their lunch before the owner did.
The area of the museum part is considerably smaller than the territory, which was occupied by the whole coal-mining enterprise, including the mine adit itself and its shafts, as well as workshops, store rooms, offices and other premises. This area still retains untouched features of the "coal boom" times, which are imprinted in old brick buildings, remnants of cast-iron and metal structures, parts and machine fragments.
"Lady Victoria" has produced more than 40 million tons of coal during its operation. The National Coal Museum provides a unique opportunity to visualize, understand and appreciate the rich history of coal mining - Britain's most important industry during the Industrial Revolution and its sequel in the 20th century.
You can follow the development and improvement of coal mining for nearly one hundred years. Visitors can see an ancient steam-driven pumping station and a later boiler house, a power station built in the 1920s, the mine adit shaft, an ancient chimney, a brick building with a backhoe and a long table (a coal receiving station) built in 1906-1914, and a washer - room for washing the rock. Of particular interest is the brick vaulted cellar with underground access roads. Here, just like in a museum, you can find specially installed wagons, in which coal was loaded ready for shipment. Visitors will also learn that the trolleys with coal were lifted to the surface and transported by pony. Over thirty years, 120 ponies have worked at the Lady Victoria Mine!
A very interesting exposition in the restored mine building. There are various machines and mechanisms, tools and personal things of the miners, e.g. pewter boats for lunch in the pit. Why pewter? So that the mice from the innumerable underground wouldn't eat their lunch before the owner did.
The area of the museum part is considerably smaller than the territory, which was occupied by the whole coal-mining enterprise, including the mine adit itself and its shafts, as well as workshops, store rooms, offices and other premises. This area still retains untouched features of the "coal boom" times, which are imprinted in old brick buildings, remnants of cast-iron and metal structures, parts and machine fragments.
"Lady Victoria" has produced more than 40 million tons of coal during its operation. The National Coal Museum provides a unique opportunity to visualize, understand and appreciate the rich history of coal mining - Britain's most important industry during the Industrial Revolution and its sequel in the 20th century.
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