HISTORY
The Mount Pleasant surface quarry extended underground to work an area of approxumately one hectare. This dormant Bath Stone quarry was last worked before 1914 and the surface quarry was backfilled in the 1980s to form playing fields. However, the underground workings were connected to Grey Gables Mine in 2006 by Edmund Nuttall Limited for bat conservation by a cut and cover tunnel.
Visted with that strange father of mine called @Bertie Bollockbrains and his odd friends
REPORT
On entry we immediately see evidence of the recent stabilization project, where lots of concrete was poured in to protect the village above. Stabilization was needed as the overall extraction rate from within the Combe Down Stone Mines was high at 85% void with only 15% residual stone pillars (over 3,700 in total) left to support the roof of these shallow mine workings for the future. Overall the stabilzation project (which also covered other mines in the area such as Firs and Byfield) cost £165 million and protected 649 properties, the vast majority of which were domestic homes. The total volume of infill placed was 620,894m3, enough to cover a football pitch to a depth of nearly 90m.
The famous bat tunnel.
On the other side we see modern re-inforcement structures
Much more passageway on this side, the Grey Gables side, free of modern graffiti but now contains at least three poos (how is that even possible from a small group of six!)
Where concrete was poured in
Lots of miner's graffiti and relics in this one
The Mount Pleasant surface quarry extended underground to work an area of approxumately one hectare. This dormant Bath Stone quarry was last worked before 1914 and the surface quarry was backfilled in the 1980s to form playing fields. However, the underground workings were connected to Grey Gables Mine in 2006 by Edmund Nuttall Limited for bat conservation by a cut and cover tunnel.
Visted with that strange father of mine called @Bertie Bollockbrains and his odd friends
REPORT
On entry we immediately see evidence of the recent stabilization project, where lots of concrete was poured in to protect the village above. Stabilization was needed as the overall extraction rate from within the Combe Down Stone Mines was high at 85% void with only 15% residual stone pillars (over 3,700 in total) left to support the roof of these shallow mine workings for the future. Overall the stabilzation project (which also covered other mines in the area such as Firs and Byfield) cost £165 million and protected 649 properties, the vast majority of which were domestic homes. The total volume of infill placed was 620,894m3, enough to cover a football pitch to a depth of nearly 90m.
The famous bat tunnel.
On the other side we see modern re-inforcement structures
Much more passageway on this side, the Grey Gables side, free of modern graffiti but now contains at least three poos (how is that even possible from a small group of six!)
Where concrete was poured in
Lots of miner's graffiti and relics in this one
