PLACE · PEOPLE · NATURE

About Pleasley Pit Trust

Pleasley Pit Trust is a non-profit organisation led by volunteer trustees, caring for the site alongside the Land Trust. We look after the place, the people and the nature that share this landscape.

A community trust caring for a remarkable heritage site

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People. Place. Nature.

A working past. A shared future.

Pleasley Pit Trust cares for a place that means something to generations of local people. The Victorian pit buildings, winding engines and surrounding landscape hold stories of industry, community and change.

Today, the site brings those stories into everyday life: through the museum, country park, café, school visits and events. It’s a place to learn about the past and make new connections in the present.

Outdoor mining machinery beside the colliery chimney — Mining machinery beside the historic colliery buildings

Three parts of one story

What makes Pleasley Pit, Pleasley Pit.

Large winding engine wheel and green machinery

Place

Historic buildings and machinery connect us with more than 150 years of mining heritage. Caring for them keeps that history visible.

Discover the museum

People

Volunteers, staff, local businesses and visitors all play a part in keeping the site welcoming and its stories alive.

Meet volunteering

Aerial view of the headstocks and Visitor Centre at Pleasley Pit

Nature

The landscape around the former colliery offers space to walk, discover wildlife and see how a place can change.

Explore the park

Engineering models displayed beside a brick wall — Engineering models from the museum collection

Understanding our industrial past

The engineering behind the pit.

The winding engines, wheels and controls help explain the scale of the work needed to move people and materials through a colliery. Alongside the full-size machinery, engineering models offer a closer view of the mechanisms behind it.

These objects connect the buildings with their working purpose. Exploring them brings together the story of the machinery and the people whose skills kept the pit running.

Explore the museum

A group standing beside the museum’s winding machinery

Built on people’s commitment

There’s a person behind every welcome.

A tour guide sharing a story. A café volunteer serving a breakfast. A team setting up for an event. Much of what visitors enjoy is made possible by people giving their time and skills.

Volunteering can bring new friendships and new experience. Sharon’s move from café volunteer to Team Leader is one example of the opportunities that can grow from getting involved.

Find your place

Recognised and supported

Part of a wider heritage story.

Pleasley Pit’s historic buildings are a Scheduled Monument. The Trust works alongside the Land Trust, with support and recognition helping the site continue to develop.

The site won the Historic England Angel Award for the Best Rescue of a Historic Industrial Building in 2011. National Lottery Heritage Fund support is helping the Trust share its story and bring people together.