Northcross at coalface of mining exhibition

Northcross will complete exhibition work at the National Coal Mining Museum by the end of the month, as part of a £6.5m redevelopment of the visitor attraction.

The project involves the creation of two gallery spaces and the interactive exhibitions they house, along with supporting signage, and is believed to be worth close to a six-figure design fee to the group.

The NCMM, which is located near Wakefield, was originally a regional museum for Yorkshire. The aim of the overall revamp is to position it as a national museum for the history of mining in England as a whole, according to Northcross design manager Norman Whitfield.

The Coal Interface exhibition, which launches in July, is the second phase of the project and follows the recent opening of the museum’s first exhibition, the Social History Gallery.

‘The brief for The Coal Interface is to explain the technical problems of getting coal from ever-increasing depths underground and the solutions mining engineers have used to overcome [this],’ says Whitfield.

The exhibition deals with subjects like lighting and ventilation, as well as the risks of flooding and explosions, and is set out on ground floor and mezzanine levels.

Northcross senior designer Craig Mann and designer Jamie McCall are leading the creative aspects of the project.

Northcross’s York office, which is running the project, started working on the exhibitions in January.