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This project successfully funded on 11th June 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
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This project successfully funded on 11th June 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
To return the National Mining Museum Scotland's iconic 1894 winding engine back to full operation.
The Lady Victoria Winding Engine was a major attraction for the National Mining Museum Scotland. When operational, it provided visitors with an authentic and sensory-rich experience through its movement, sounds and smells. It was the most powerful winding engine ever built in Scotland.
You cannot replicate this experience through modern technology - it is completely one of a kind.
But it has been silent for years and now requires urgent repair. We now are working to bring it back to life.
This project is more than restoration.
By developing a partnership with the Institute of Conservation and the wider industrial museum sector, we will train a new generation of technicians and engineers with the practical skills needed to care for Scotland’s working industrial heritage.
We are now seeking to raise initial funds to get this project up and running.
Our first goal is to fund a full condition survey - an essential step toward securing major restoration funding.
This survey will:
This survey is essential for identifying issues before they become bigger, providing the evidence needed to unlock funding.
Secondly, we are looking to raise for preventive conservation materials to prevent further deterioration.
These materials will be used by our new team of volunteers who started work in March.
The survey plus initial conservation materials will cost £8,000.
Your £20 isn’t just £20 - it will enable us to unlock larger funding.
Money raised through this Crowdfunder will support grant applications currently being prepared, including demonstrating the strong community support that's needed.
This engine has stood for 130 years. If we don’t act now, this engineering marvel risks becoming a static display - its story reduced to something you can only look at, not experience. And without conservation, it's at substantial risk of further deterioration.
Together, we can make it move again - before it’s too late.
Installed in 1894 and manufactured by Grant, Ritchie & Co. of Kilmarnock, this 2,400bhp steam-powered winding engine was pivotal in the daily operations of the colliery. It efficiently transported miners and coal between the surface and the depths of the mine shaft, which extended over 500 meters underground.
At the time of its operation, it was the most powerful winding engine in Scotland, reflecting the advanced engineering capabilities of the Victorian era.
Donate today - every contribution counts.
Even £20 gets us closer to seeing the engine run again.
We have packages on offer to become part of the museum’s Pithead Circle, including having a name listed within the Winding Engine House.
We are also seeking donations from corporate sponsors who want to give back to our nation’s industrial heritage, whilst investing in skills for the future.
This initiative is central to the museum’s Transformation Project, as we aspire to regenerate the National Mining Museum Scotland to become the world-class destination it deserves to be.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made