BIG Pit National Coal Museum is celebrating its 35 anniversary with a new exhibit which tells the story of its evolution through the decades.

‘From mine to museum’ is set to run from October until December 30, and traces the history of Big Pit as it transformed from a working coal mine into one of UK’s leading museums and tourist attractions.

Entry to the museum will be free, to encourage as many people as possible to get in touch with their local history.

Big Pit was one of the last working coal mines in Blaenavon until it closed on February 2, 1980, resulting in the loss of more than 250 jobs.

Soon after the pit closed, Torfaen Borough Council bought the site for £1 and it was given to a charitable trust called the Big Pit (Blaenavon) Trust to manage the conversion to a heritage museum.

The initial development cost £1.5 million with funding from the Welsh Tourist Board, the European Regional Development Fund, the borough council and Gwent County Council. The mine reopened for visitors in 1983.

On February 1, 2001 Big Pit Coal Museum became incorporated into the National Museum and Galleries of Wales as the National Mining Museum of Wales.

Now instead of mining coal, Bit Pit draws in visitors as one of the UK’s leading mining museums.

One of the main attractions of the museum is an hour-long underground tour, led by ex-miners, which takes you down in the pit cage to walk through underground roadways, air doors stables and engine houses built by generations of mineworkers.

On the surface you can explore the colliery buildings - the winding engine-house, the blacksmiths' workshop and the pithead baths where you can learn more about the story of coal and its extraction from below the ground.

Looking back over the history of Big Pit, the museum has evolved since its opening in 1983.

In December 2017, The Museum welcomed its first female mining apprentice and tour guide, Emma Long, onto its apprenticeship scheme, which aims to ensure the future of the museum through maintaining the mine and its legacy.

At the time, Miss Long said: “It’s a unique opportunity to be a part of Big Pit’s future, moving forward.

“I think if you have a passion for something, regardless of whether you are a man or woman, you should give it a go."

Earlier that year, Big Pit launched a new series of underground tours designed to help people living with dementia to mark the condition’s national awareness week.

In 2012, the museum invested in solar energy and installed 200 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the Big Pit museum building.

100 percent of the energy it generated was used on the site and any surplus fed into the grid to earn additional funds for the museum.

At the time it was estimated that the installation would save National Museum Wales around 5 million kWh over 25 years and also benefit from the Feed in Tariff for this period.

The museum was awarded the 2005 Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year, and was described by the judges as offering "an exceptional emotional and intellectual experience."

At the time, mine manager Peter Walker said: "We wanted Big Pit to win this prize for so many reasons.

"It proves that we've finally come of age as a national museum, and that we're offering a fantastic experience for our visitors - many of whom return time after time."

Other exhibits that are currently on show at Big Pit include 'Family of Miners', which is a photographic exhibition by Walter Waygood documenting mining and miners of Blaenafon from the 1970s onwards.

This exhibition has been running since the start of September and will run through to December 30.

Next week, the museum is also running a 'Welly Walk'.

The family event runs from 1pm until 2.45pm on Wednesday October 3.

The event is free, but pre-booking is required. You can book by calling 029 2057 3650