Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum, Mining heritage museum in Norden, Dorset, England
The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum is a mining heritage site in Dorset displaying underground passages and structures from the ball clay extraction period. The building preserves original machinery and a narrow gauge railway system that once moved clay from the mines.
Benjamin Fayle opened the Middlebere Tramway here in 1806 to move clay from local pits to Poole Harbour. This marked the start of industrial clay extraction in the region.
The site shows how Purbeck ball clay mining connected to British pottery making, especially the famous Wedgwood ceramics. Visitors can see how materials dug from local pits became part of well-known products across the world.
The museum is currently closed and will reopen in spring 2025, with exact opening details announced in January 2025. Visitors should check current information before planning a visit to confirm the site is open.
The museum occupies one of the last remaining underground mining buildings in Purbeck where clay was extracted. The original machinery and transport systems inside give a direct sense of how work happened beneath the surface.
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