There were a couple of threads on this place last year but none have covered it in full yet. Unfortunately mine doesn't either as this visit was a bit of a side-mission, I still took too many photos!
Hemerdon Mine is located on the edge of Dartmoor and was constructed due to exploit tungsten deposits found at the site in the late 19th century. After meeting demands for tungsten in the world wars changes in the market value of tungsten in the post-war era led to the mines closure. Now, with the market value increasing again and Hemerdon being the 4th largest source of Tungsten in the world, Australian company Wolf Minerals Ltd have scraped some pennies together (~£110m) in an effort to re-open the mine and make some fat stacks.
A new link road has recently been completed to improve access for the HGVs, Wolf hope to begin operations in 2014 so there may not be much time left to visit this.
Quick & dirty map based on ordinance survey data.
Building 2 to the right, building 3 to the left, and building 4 in the background.
The offices (1 on the map) don't have much left to see in them. Also, a self-entitled farmer appears to have been using them as a dry store for their hay. Probably the same farmer who appears to have converted the building on the top-left of the map to pens/stables (although perhaps it was his all along).
Building 2 -- I don't know much about mines but it was definitely for operations and not administration. If anyone keeps tabs on graffiti, I can't decypher the big piece but there are tags from the OLC & GWR crews.
Inside building 2. Graffiti from Broke of the AI crew.
Control panel.
Looking west (still in building 2) the building is built on a slope but I didn't get to access the ground floor. The rusted out building on the right didn't contain anything of interest and unfortunately I didn't get to explore the tank structure in the distance because the guerilla farmer was there.
I believe the room on the left would have been a boss's office as it contains the (time card clock in next shot). Piece on the right from Joak (NK crew).
Bulding 3 - I believe it was for storage of raw material pre-processing. Piece by Hyday, throw-up by Hesh.
There were a lot of these pallet things inside building three, all full of extracted material.
Building 4 with the most relevant "DANGER, KEEP OUT" sign I have seen in my life. Of course, I've no doubt seasoned explorers have seen worse.
What was left of the building creaked in the wind (e.g. the motion of loose corrugated panels swinging back and forth). I would not want to be here on a windy day as some of those spiky metal bits looked ready to fall, just as the roof section on the right has since last year's reports.
Rain clouds arrived, behind this round thing, I'm not sure what purpose it served.
A more useful image of the 'round thing' above taken from the next floor up of building 4.
Hoppers.
The concrete skeleton of the structure is still somewhat in-tact. I didn't venture far onto it because I was alone and I didn't trust it to be structurally sound.
Self-portrait, can you spot me?
Building 2 from behind.
This place is bound to be knocked down soon (what with the 2014 target) so it was good to get to see it. I'd love to see pics of the parts I missed if anyone else goes! I'd go again myself but am pretty pressed for time.
Hemerdon Mine is located on the edge of Dartmoor and was constructed due to exploit tungsten deposits found at the site in the late 19th century. After meeting demands for tungsten in the world wars changes in the market value of tungsten in the post-war era led to the mines closure. Now, with the market value increasing again and Hemerdon being the 4th largest source of Tungsten in the world, Australian company Wolf Minerals Ltd have scraped some pennies together (~£110m) in an effort to re-open the mine and make some fat stacks.
A new link road has recently been completed to improve access for the HGVs, Wolf hope to begin operations in 2014 so there may not be much time left to visit this.
Quick & dirty map based on ordinance survey data.
Building 2 to the right, building 3 to the left, and building 4 in the background.
The offices (1 on the map) don't have much left to see in them. Also, a self-entitled farmer appears to have been using them as a dry store for their hay. Probably the same farmer who appears to have converted the building on the top-left of the map to pens/stables (although perhaps it was his all along).
Building 2 -- I don't know much about mines but it was definitely for operations and not administration. If anyone keeps tabs on graffiti, I can't decypher the big piece but there are tags from the OLC & GWR crews.
Inside building 2. Graffiti from Broke of the AI crew.
Control panel.
Looking west (still in building 2) the building is built on a slope but I didn't get to access the ground floor. The rusted out building on the right didn't contain anything of interest and unfortunately I didn't get to explore the tank structure in the distance because the guerilla farmer was there.
I believe the room on the left would have been a boss's office as it contains the (time card clock in next shot). Piece on the right from Joak (NK crew).
Bulding 3 - I believe it was for storage of raw material pre-processing. Piece by Hyday, throw-up by Hesh.
There were a lot of these pallet things inside building three, all full of extracted material.
Building 4 with the most relevant "DANGER, KEEP OUT" sign I have seen in my life. Of course, I've no doubt seasoned explorers have seen worse.
What was left of the building creaked in the wind (e.g. the motion of loose corrugated panels swinging back and forth). I would not want to be here on a windy day as some of those spiky metal bits looked ready to fall, just as the roof section on the right has since last year's reports.
Rain clouds arrived, behind this round thing, I'm not sure what purpose it served.
A more useful image of the 'round thing' above taken from the next floor up of building 4.
Hoppers.
The concrete skeleton of the structure is still somewhat in-tact. I didn't venture far onto it because I was alone and I didn't trust it to be structurally sound.
Self-portrait, can you spot me?
Building 2 from behind.
This place is bound to be knocked down soon (what with the 2014 target) so it was good to get to see it. I'd love to see pics of the parts I missed if anyone else goes! I'd go again myself but am pretty pressed for time.
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