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Origin and history

The Molay-Littry mine museum was built in 1907 on the site of the Frandemiche pit, operated between 1759 and 1864 by the Littry coalfields. The well, dug in one year from September 1759, reached a depth of 94.5 metres where a 2.75-metre coal layer was operated. In 1802, a steam machine of the Périer brothers was installed there to raise the coal, and the current chimney was built in 1846. The pit closed permanently in 1864, marking the end of the local extraction.

The museum has its origin in a collection of tools and machines assembled at the end of the 19th century by Sosthène Lefrançois. In 1902, Mr.Labbey built the present museum, including a lace school, on the site of the old pit. Inaugurated in 1907 after his donation to the commune, he was enlarged several times, notably in 1971 with the reconstruction of a mine gallery. Between 1996 and 1997, archaeological excavations revealed the foundations of the buildings and the location of the boilers.

Closed in March 2020 for renovation, the museum reopened in May 2021 with a modernized museum. The site preserves emblematic remains: a burrow, a square fireplace, the well opening and the foundations of restored buildings. A steam machine identical to the original, as well as a reconstituted gallery, illustrate the mining techniques of the past. The museum also exhibits a model of pit No. 5-5 bis of the Bruay mines, accessible after an immersive crossing.

The Frandemiche pit, named after the farmer owner of the land, experienced two fatal accidents in its burrow (horizontal gallery). In 1864, its closure ended nearly a century of exploitation. In 2000, a GMRO survey confirmed the complete filling of the well, avoiding any risk. Today, the museum, classified as the oldest in France in its category, perpetuates the memory of Norman miners and their know-how.

The museum's collections include objects, documents and archives tracing the social and technical history of the Littry coalfields. The flagship pieces include sedans (wagonnets) exposed at the foot of the ground, as well as period mining tools. The outdoor route, marked with interpretive panels, allows to discover the remains in situ, while the two floors of the building house thematic exhibitions on the life of miners and the methods of extraction.

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