Britannia Mine Museum
The Britannia Mine Museum, formerly British Columbia Museum of Mining, is a non-profit organization in Britannia Beach, 55 km kilometres north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound. It is governed by the Britannia Mine Museum Society. The museum preserves and presents to the public information and artifacts related to British Columbia's mining industry.
National historic site
The museum is located on the site of Mill No. 3. Within this 20 storey building, the gravity fed concentrator, was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1987. The Britannia Mine was an important source of copper ore for almost 70 years. During the 1920s and 1930s, it constituted as one of the largest mining operations in Canada and was the largest copper mining operation in the British Empire. The gravity-fed concentrator was highly innovative, as, for example, in the use of bulk froth flotation.History
The Britannia Beach Historical Society was established in 1971 as part of BC's centennial plans. Its goal was to preserve the history of mining activities in British Columbia. The museum opened in 1975 as the BC Museum of Mining. Mill 3 underwent a $5 million exterior rehabilitation between 2005 and 2007 to replace the siding, roof, and windows.After an additional $14.7 million redevelopment project, the museum was renamed the Britannia Mine Museum in October 2010. There are displays concerning the importance of minerals in daily life, and on the history of the Britannia Mine, including its environmental remediation. The funding for this, the Britannia Project, came from government, industry donors and individuals.