Peak District Mining Museum

About Peak District Mining Museum

The Peak District Mining Museum is situated in The Pavilion at the centre of Matlock Bath alongside the A6, which runs alongside the river Derwent in a picturesque limestone gorge.

This former dance floor has been completely renovated and converted to provide a setting for the relics of the Peak District's oldest industry.

Visit a museum where you can experience and wonder at the forgotten world of a Derbyshire lead miner. For centuries, men have toiled underground in cramped and hazardous conditions to earn a meagre living by extracting the mineral galena (lead ore). See the tools they used, clothes they wore, the advances in technology and the importance of this metal in our modern day lives.

Crawl and climb through a maze of twisted tunnels and shafts to feel for yourself the cramped conditions of a Derbyshire lead miner. Read about the strange and ancient laws that controlled the miner's and marvel at a history dating back over 2000 years to Roman times.

Experience all this for yourself and enjoy a look into an industry that did much to shape the landscape and prosperity of Derbyshire and its notable families.

At the Museum:
- Climbing shafts
- Hazard tunnel
- Rag and chain pump
- Working models
- Slide show
- Rocks and minerals (including the Howie collection)
- Informative displays

Visit Temple Mine which was acquired by the ancient custom of 'Nicking'. The mine has been worked since 1922 for fluorite and lead ore and shows a variety of mining methods have been used. Discover for yourself the network of tunnels that exist under your feet and wonder at the crystals glistening in the walls.

The mine will give you an authentic insight into life underground and the tools and equipment involved in the extraction of minerals.

At the Mine:
- Discover the underground world of a lead miner
- Geology and mineral wealth
- Well-lit and spacious tunnels
- Mineral panning