The National Coal Mining Museum for England is located at Caphouse Colliery,on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, where mining has been carried out for centuries. A plan dated 1791 includes a shaft on the Caphouse site.
Before 1827 the colliery was owned by the Milnes family but passed to the Lister Kayes until 1917. After two more changes of ownership the colliery was nationalised in 1947. By 1985 the coal at Caphouse was exhausted and its conversion to a museum began.
The museum was initially opened as the Yorkshire Mining Museum in 1988 and it was granted national status in 1995. Fundraising and grants have enabled the preservation of buildings and opening of informative and extensive galleries. The collection of mining lapms and tokens is particuarly impressive. As well as the surface exhibits, there is the opportunity to visit underground via a 140 metre descent by winding cage.
In 2008 Sub Brit was given special permission to tour the mine and then exit via the drift exit. This was originally used to extract coal on conveyor belts and is still maintained today as an emergency exit.