The pit and the piano - Watch pianist perform inside a mining pit

  • The musician playing the instrument in the impressive venue

Tonight a pianist is performing on a 113-year-old piano at the surprising venue of a mining pit.

The former powerhouse at Clipstone Colliery will be the unlikely venue tonight as pianist and classical composer Chris Miggells is to launch his debut album, Synesthese, at the old pit with the two concerts.

Mr Miggells said as soon as he set his eyes on the venue he instantly wanted to bring his music and the pit together in perfect harmony.

He said: "I was looking for a really unique and crazy location to put a video together and as soon as I heard the acoustics I thought this is got some magic going on.

"I could imagine a piano playing in here sounding incredible."

The piano Chris Miggells is using was made in 1910. Credit: ITV Central

The grandson of a miner, tonight's concert will be a poignant moment for Chris, from Boughton near Ollerton.

He said: "It was never purposed for concert halls but that's exactly why it works, we've called it the iron cathedral. You get resonances from the old machines.

"There's nothing up there - it's just a pure square so we've taken the lid off the piano and the sound floats to the top. It's wild!

"It's something to watch a hand-driven mine craft lift a piano through the floor."

  • Watch how a 113-year-old piano is built inside a mining pit

The first-of-its-kind concert is also another milestone for Stuart Mills, a local businessman who's seeking to turn Clipstone Headstocks into a leisure venue.

He said: "It proves that we can do anything really. We've had filming in there, meetings and now we have this concert.

"It shows the building is flexible and that's what we need really to get it back into use."

The piano being used, made in 1910, is actually slightly older than Clipstone Colliery itself.

Tonight, history will be made - as this giant chamber echoes, not to the clank of metal and machinery - but to a very different sound.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…