Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum Railway, Railway museum in Cumberland, England
Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum Railway is a mining and railway museum housed in a former quarry in Cumberland. The site features a narrow-gauge railway, vintage machinery, and rock specimens that show what was extracted from the ground.
The quarry began extracting stone in 1870, initially providing ballast for a nearby railway line and stone for a major water supply project. When quarrying stopped, the site was transformed into a museum to keep this mining history alive.
The site reflects how communities once relied on local stone extraction for their needs. You can see the tools and equipment that workers once used daily, giving a sense of life in these industrial times.
The site is open during school holidays and select weekends, with closures during most weekday periods outside of holiday time. It helps to check opening times before planning your visit, as schedules change with the school calendar.
Visitors can try panning for minerals themselves, getting a hands-on feel for what miners searched for. Underground tours also let you walk through simulated mine passages and experience how deep extraction work once felt.
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