Earby Mining Museum

Yorkshire Dales Lead Mining Museum

Useful Information

Location:	The Old Grammar School, School Lane, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18 6QF. Take the A59 trunk road that runs from the M6 at Junction 31 to Skipton. Then take the A56 trunk road to Earby. At the Old Grammar School, School Lane, Earby. (53.91878, -2.14334)
Open:	closed. [2024]
Fee:	closed. [2024]
Classification:	Lead Mine, mining museum.
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Yorkshire Dales Mining Museum, Old Grammar School, School Lane, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18 6QF, Tel: +44-1282-841422. Bookings: Peter Hart, Tel: +44-1756-794713.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1945	Earby Mines Research Group formed within the Earby Pothole Club.
end 1960s	a considerable amount of material had accumulated.
22-MAY-1971	opened to the public as Earby Mining Museum.
2002	closed for renovation.
2006	reopened.
2015	museum closed.

Geology

Description

The Yorkshire Dales Lead Mining Museum, formerly Earby Mining Museum, does not exist any more. The building which once housed it still exists, it is now used by a charity, the Robert Windle Foundation, who provide help with education to the youth. The collections were donated to the Dales Countryside Museum.

The collection was a result of the work of the Earby Mines Research Group, who were actually a group of mining interested cavers. They started in 1945, but it took until 1971 to actually open a museum. The museum was located in the Old Grammar School, a historic building in Earby. They increased continually, and finally they started a massive renovation in 2002. The Yorkshire Dales Lead Mining Museum was reopened in 2006 after four years of renovation and refurbishment. Financed by the English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery fund, and the Pendle District Council, new interpretative displays were created.

The new museum with the new name was administered by the Earby Mines Research Group Museum Trust. A fun fact about the museum is, that it was about lead mining in the Yorkshire Dales, which was even part of the new name, but Earby is actually not in the Yorkshire Dales. The actual mining did not happen at Earby, the mines were located at places like Grassington Moor and Arkengarthdale. However, despite a good collection and funds for renovation, the new museum was not lucky. After only nine years of operation it closed finally. We don't know why it closed, the most likely reason is nowadays the lack of volunteers. As the whole inventory was donated to another museum, and the house was sold, it will never be reopened. The closure is now almost ten years ago, and still there are numerous pages about this museum, so we will keep this page as a reminder that this museum does not exist any more.

The Museum is operated part time by members of the Earby Mines Research Group, and is one of the earliest museums devoted to mining. The exhibits include a waterwheel and a crusher, machinery and mine tubs, methods of lighting, samples of minerals, miners' personal belongings, plans and working models. It is housed in the old Grammar School which was vacated by the West Riding County Council in 1970.

The museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of mining artefacts (over 700 items) in the northern Pennines.

Text by Tony Oldham (2001). With kind permission.