Margaret was director of the National Coal Mining Museum for England from 1986 until she retired in 2015. She took the Yorkshire Mining Museum to national status in 1995 and to direct government funding in 2000. The NCMME deals with all aspects of coal-mining culture, including a library of national important and a major collection of art, both items created by working coal miners, such as members of the Ashington Croup, and by artists inspired by coal mines, such as Janet Buckle. The museum produced a number of publications specifically about art , all edited by Margaret, and commissioned work from leading photographers to record collieries before they disappeared, such as of the private Hayroyds Colliery.
She has recently published a comprehensive survey of coal-mining museums worldwide, including those with art collections, Commemorating Coal Mining Worldwide. ICOM ICDAD (International Committee of Museums and Collections of Decorative Arts and Design) gave a grant to cover the cost of publishing the images of art items in colour.
Margaret has had a mobility disability since 1991 as a result of a riding accident and uses a mobility scooter. So she is especially inspired by the work done by The Art House in providing studios for artists with a disability and in setting an example of how a building can be made welcoming to all members of the community.
