Life in 'the bowels of the earth' is being brought alive

Cefn Coed Colliery Museum in the Dulais Valley near Neath now has an MP3 audio tour that can be downloaded on line.

Narrated by museum tour guide John Arnold, a former Deputy at Blaenant Colliery, it depicts life working underground at the colliery and shows the different types of machinery used to bring coal up to the surface.

It also reflects some heart felt stories from the miners themselves who worked in the heyday of mining in Neath Port Talbot.

Located near the village of Crynant, the colliery museum tells the story of coal mining at Cefn Coed Pit, once the deepest anthracite coal mine in the world.

It was also one of the most dangerous coalmines in Wales, earning the nickname 'the slaughterhouse'.

Ex miners have given interviews for a collection coming on line soon. They talk about working conditions underground before and after nationalism in 1947, family life and the miners' strike as well as the camaraderie still felt today by the men who worked down the mines.

The interviews can be heard as part of the audio tour of the Museum by clicking on www.npt.gov.uk/cefncoedmuseum

Cabinet Member for Leisure, Mike James, says the new audio tour will be a tremendous asset for the museum.

He said, "The Dulais Valley is rich in industrial heritage and the museum brings to life the history of mining at Cefn Coed Pit."