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Pwll Mawr just means 'Big Pit', not that many in Blaenafon
speak Welsh or have done for many years. It was the first pit in Wales to be large
enough to allow two tramways in its elliptical shaft. The National Mining Museum
for Wales is now housed here and as well as surface presentations, gives an excellent
underground tour. The guides are all local ex-miners retained as tourist chaperones.
I jokingly asked my friend, a time-served collier at Blaenafon, if he would be
applying for a post but his reply was that 'if he never went down the damn place
again, it would be too soon' - I am paraphrasing a little. I once sought permission
to descend Big Pit but it was not forthcoming, despite the fact that I represented
the mine in a South Wales NCB 'crib and don' competition (as an honorary miner)
and we came a creditable second. I have been on the underground tour since then
and can highly recommend it. I also trespassed a long time ago in one of the old
abandoned workings used as a ventilation shaft for Big Pit and it was a memorable
experience. The Mining Museum is rapidly becoming a major tourist attraction and
there is some irony in the fact that, together with the Ironworks, Big Pit will
once again draw people and finance into the town. |
