Garden was opened in 2015, and a large mining-themed adventure playground was built in 2017. Significant improvements to the visitor welcome hub, which contains the museum's retail, education, catering and conferencing facilities were made from 2018 onwards owing to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Since the early 1990s, the museum has hosted pit ponies and other horses with links to the Coal Mining industry. A new interactive Pony Discovery Centre was opened in 2021 replacing the older stables block sited in the Boiler Yard. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The museum held the exhibition 'My Mining Days' for mining artist Tom Lamb in 2008–2009. Location The museum is situated on the A642, in Overton near Middlestown between Wakefield and Huddersfield. It is signposted from the M1 motorway. It can be reached by car or public transport. The museum features regularly on television programmes, especially those with a focus on genealogy and mining culture. See also Rhondda Heritage Park and Big Pit National Coal Museum in the South Wales Valleys National Mining Museum Scotland Listed buildings in Sitlington References Footnotes Bibliography External links National Coal Mining Museum BBC photographs Museums established in 1988 Coal mines in England Underground mines in England European Route of Industrial Heritage Anchor Points Museums sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Mining museums in England Tourist attractions in the City of Wakefield Museums in West Yorkshire Mining in West Yorkshire Coal mining in the United Kingdom 1988 establishments in England Coal museums