The Museum of Cannock Chase opened in 1989 as the “Valley Heritage Centre” on the site of the former Valley Colliery (once the training centre for coal miners from all over the Cannock Chase coalfield). When the training centre closed in 1982 following the closure of most of the pits in the area, the buildings were taken over by the district council. Originally the museum only used the upper floor: visitors entered through what is now the back door to be greeted by a tiny window display in the back porch, which was the museum shop! Inside there was a café, a nature room and a temporary display area which displayed touring exhibitions and displays from the museum’s growing collection of artefacts.
In 1992 the museum took over the ground floor. A new shop and coffee shop were opened downstairs and gradually more permanent galleries were created, providing space for visitors to view artefacts and learn about the history of the area. The museum was designated the tourist information point for Cannock Chase in the mid-1990s and became the hub for all enquiries and information for the area, directing people to the visitor attractions nearby and boosting local tourism. The education service was started in 1995 and was an immediate success. Since 1998, 88,255 children have taken part in school visits at the museum!
Although many people still refer to the museum as the “Valley Heritage Centre”, in the mid-1990s we changed our name to the “Museum of Cannock Chase” to reflect our changing status as a venue with artefact collections representing the people and places of the area.
The museum site itself has also seen many changes. The Mines Rescue Service was situated over the road until it was relocated in 1991 (luxury homes were built on its site). The museum education spaces were created from derelict colliery buildings. In 2007 the Heritage Lottery Fund provided funding to create a new reception, shop, local history gallery and temporary exhibition space which transformed the museum into a bright open space with new facilities for visitors, reopening at Easter 2008.
An exciting moment for the museum was when the winding wheel was finally erected. It originally came from Lea Hall Colliery and lay in the grass opposite the museum for years. When funding became available to erect it, we were finally able to create the iconic landmark you can see today.
The museum galleries have also changed to meet the demands of our visitors. The first family-friendly gallery was the Toys Gallery, which became so popular that we decided to extend it and make an interactive play area. It took us over a week to paint all the different coloured stripes in the Toy Room! To make the Coal Mining Gallery more interactive, we added a mock coal mine which visitors can enter wearing a miner’s helmet. Nowadays the museum is visited by hundreds of families every year, many of whom come again and again to enjoy the galleries and take part in events and holiday activities. The museum has become a key place to visit for local families to discover something interesting to do.
We are an Accredited museum with Arts Council England, and a community venue where heritage provides a sense of place and a feeling of belonging, offering our users a safe, friendly space where they can learn something new, experience the arts and immerse themselves in history and creativity.
The museum holds collections about the local area and coal mining and tells the local, industrial and social history of Cannock Chase through permanent galleries, a temporary exhibition programme, and events and regular activities for families and adults. We support and mentor artists and provide arts and heritage activities and exhibition space, and work in partnership with other organisations to develop and provide services for community.
We have a successful education programme for Early Years and Primary schools, for which we have won the Sandford Award for Heritage Education five times and we hold the Visit England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction award. We support the protection and interpretation of Cannock Chase AONB and work with the other Cannock Chase Visitor Centres to provide a great day out on Cannock Chase for locals and visitors from further afield.