Scottish Mining Museum - Lady Victoria Colliery
Scotland's mining museum at the historic Lady Victoria pit where ghostly miners and the sounds of underground work continue decades after closure.
The Scottish Mining Museum occupies the Lady Victoria Colliery site in Newtongrange, which opened in the 1890s and was once the most productive coal mine in Scotland. The colliery employed hundreds of men and boys from the local community, and like all deep mines, it witnessed fatal accidents, explosions, and the slow death toll from pneumoconiosis and other mining diseases. The preserved Victorian winding engine - the largest in Scotland - still dominates the engine house, though it hasn’t lifted coal for decades. Since the museum opened, staff and visitors have reported persistent paranormal activity throughout the site.
The most commonly reported phenomena occur in the winding engine house and the underground sections accessible to visitors. Security staff working night shifts hear the massive beam engine starting up and the rhythmic thump of its operation, despite all systems being powered down and locked. The sound of the pit cage ascending and descending the shaft is heard, along with the metallic clang of gates opening and closing. Visitors on heritage tours in the underground areas report encountering the apparition of a miner in period clothing, who appears to be checking the tunnel supports before fading from view. The smell of coal, sweat, and pit ponies manifests suddenly in areas that have been cleaned and ventilated for years.
Staff members describe objects moving in the lamp room and offices - tools found on different floors, doors locking from the inside, and papers scattered across desks overnight. Voices speaking in Scots dialect are heard in empty corridors, and footsteps echo through the winding house when no one is present. The most unsettling experiences occur near the pit shaft, where several fatal accidents occurred during the mine’s operation. Here, visitors report sudden cold spots, overwhelming feelings of dread, and in some cases, the sensation of being pushed toward the edge. Paranormal investigators have recorded elevated electromagnetic readings and captured audio that appears to be men calling out warnings. Many believe the spirits of Lady Victoria are protective presences, miners who remain bound to their workplace and continue to watch over the pit that dominated their lives.