History Borrowed from @The Lone Ranger hope you don't mind m8ty couldn't find anything but the history on your report.
As with most of the sandstone mines in the Rossendale area this was worked on the Pillar and Stall Technique, and to date the best example I’ve seen.
The best bit of history I found is this and it is evident when strolling around “In 1938 the mine galleries at the disused Scout Mine were prepared to serve as air raid shelters in case of Second World War air attack. It was reported that the lofty galleries widen at intervals into extensive chambers and are large enough to accommodate scores of people if necessary. The mine was made ready with electric lights and an air lock in case of a gas attack. The roof was supported by large wooden beams, quite a few of them from demolition of mills and other large buildings.”
The general history of Scout Sandstone Mine (and all the other mines) is it taps into the Haslingden series of sandstone deposits, a quite hard rock, which was used for paving flags, machine beds, construction and later hardcore and aggregate for motorway construction
Some quarries in the area are now reopened with small scale production of flag stones and other products. Despite the abundance of quarries in the area : Facit, Britannia, Lands, Abraham etc; mine workings are very common – as the best stone is often found under thousands of tons of overburden and inferior stone – known as “ feight “, so adits were sunk and the stone excavated from pillar and stall workings
General History on the Pillar and Stall Technique
‘It is not generally known that drifts are now made underground for the purpose of stone getting, but such is the fact, and this kind of work renders the life of the quarrymen doubly dangerous. This mode of mining, however, obviates the removing of considerable amount of “bearing,” which would otherwise be very necessary. In times past, they thought little of bearing or cutting away earth to the depth of 20 or 30 feet, if thereby plenty of good stone could be afterwards procured; but the undermining system now adopted has rendered much excavation unnecessary.’
The layers of Haslingden Flags outcropping on the valley tops and sides were in great demand to pave the streets of Victorian towns and cities. In many places the flags outcrop on the moor top and moor edge close to surface, and large open excavations are obvious. Where the best layers of flag (often named ‘lonkey’) are deeper below surface or lower down the valley side then tunnels are driven and large scale ‘pillar and stall’ mining was carried out. Attempting to move thick overburden without mining would have been expensive and time consuming as modern earth moving machinery did not come into use until the early 1900s.
What remains in the hillsides are tunnel entrances to a grid –pattern complex of vast chambers separated by pillars of rock at frequent intervals to support the roof. To create the chambers, the rock getters would pick out a weaker layer above the best stone. Often working on their sides with only shoulder height to move in, they would excavate a narrow ledge to create a working space, then work downwards on the strong rock with wedges and crowbars. Both the Lower and Upper Haslingden Flags were mined and distribution is widespread.
Our earliest records of stone mines are from the 1820s at Tong End Pasture, Whitworth; but they probably reached their peak from the 1870s onwards. Many of the larger mines closed before the First World War, although other proprietors continued until the 1930s.
The explore.
Wanted a mine for a while and decided this was a good start and was not wrong. Visited with @Reich at around 7 pm its a mine so day or night dont matter lol. Stayed in till about 12:30 and still had loads to do. Its a damn big place and was just awesome to go round with beautiful pics to be had. For this reason a revisit is deffo on the cards. Please do enjoy this also there is a link to a vid of something truly beautiful in there that pics just dont do it justice so please have a look. I really hope you enjoy this many thanks for looking and reading till now. Can i just also say big thanks to @The Lone Ranger for his report and the advice given ages back when me and @ACID- REFLUX was wanting to do some stuff here. And cheers @Reich for the good time m8ty was bloody good fun.
Pics:
Gives a little idea of size
Nice old bottle
Nice reflective roof.
Nice colours on this
Some tags think @Reich thought some where from here ?. I think he was thinking of @diehardlove . Cause of the DH tag not sure.
Thanks for looking here is a cracking little vid of the sort of underground waterfall thats stunning to see please enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HIZKOTxJ6s Dont normally do vids but because it was night pics where crap.
Also sorry for lighting in pics it was a bitch to get good lighting in big sections. Anyhow thanks all and hope you enjoyed it. And again big thanks to @The Lone Ranger and @Reich
As with most of the sandstone mines in the Rossendale area this was worked on the Pillar and Stall Technique, and to date the best example I’ve seen.
The best bit of history I found is this and it is evident when strolling around “In 1938 the mine galleries at the disused Scout Mine were prepared to serve as air raid shelters in case of Second World War air attack. It was reported that the lofty galleries widen at intervals into extensive chambers and are large enough to accommodate scores of people if necessary. The mine was made ready with electric lights and an air lock in case of a gas attack. The roof was supported by large wooden beams, quite a few of them from demolition of mills and other large buildings.”
The general history of Scout Sandstone Mine (and all the other mines) is it taps into the Haslingden series of sandstone deposits, a quite hard rock, which was used for paving flags, machine beds, construction and later hardcore and aggregate for motorway construction
Some quarries in the area are now reopened with small scale production of flag stones and other products. Despite the abundance of quarries in the area : Facit, Britannia, Lands, Abraham etc; mine workings are very common – as the best stone is often found under thousands of tons of overburden and inferior stone – known as “ feight “, so adits were sunk and the stone excavated from pillar and stall workings
General History on the Pillar and Stall Technique
‘It is not generally known that drifts are now made underground for the purpose of stone getting, but such is the fact, and this kind of work renders the life of the quarrymen doubly dangerous. This mode of mining, however, obviates the removing of considerable amount of “bearing,” which would otherwise be very necessary. In times past, they thought little of bearing or cutting away earth to the depth of 20 or 30 feet, if thereby plenty of good stone could be afterwards procured; but the undermining system now adopted has rendered much excavation unnecessary.’
The layers of Haslingden Flags outcropping on the valley tops and sides were in great demand to pave the streets of Victorian towns and cities. In many places the flags outcrop on the moor top and moor edge close to surface, and large open excavations are obvious. Where the best layers of flag (often named ‘lonkey’) are deeper below surface or lower down the valley side then tunnels are driven and large scale ‘pillar and stall’ mining was carried out. Attempting to move thick overburden without mining would have been expensive and time consuming as modern earth moving machinery did not come into use until the early 1900s.
What remains in the hillsides are tunnel entrances to a grid –pattern complex of vast chambers separated by pillars of rock at frequent intervals to support the roof. To create the chambers, the rock getters would pick out a weaker layer above the best stone. Often working on their sides with only shoulder height to move in, they would excavate a narrow ledge to create a working space, then work downwards on the strong rock with wedges and crowbars. Both the Lower and Upper Haslingden Flags were mined and distribution is widespread.
Our earliest records of stone mines are from the 1820s at Tong End Pasture, Whitworth; but they probably reached their peak from the 1870s onwards. Many of the larger mines closed before the First World War, although other proprietors continued until the 1930s.
The explore.
Wanted a mine for a while and decided this was a good start and was not wrong. Visited with @Reich at around 7 pm its a mine so day or night dont matter lol. Stayed in till about 12:30 and still had loads to do. Its a damn big place and was just awesome to go round with beautiful pics to be had. For this reason a revisit is deffo on the cards. Please do enjoy this also there is a link to a vid of something truly beautiful in there that pics just dont do it justice so please have a look. I really hope you enjoy this many thanks for looking and reading till now. Can i just also say big thanks to @The Lone Ranger for his report and the advice given ages back when me and @ACID- REFLUX was wanting to do some stuff here. And cheers @Reich for the good time m8ty was bloody good fun.
Pics:
Gives a little idea of size
Nice old bottle
Nice reflective roof.
Nice colours on this
Some tags think @Reich thought some where from here ?. I think he was thinking of @diehardlove . Cause of the DH tag not sure.
Thanks for looking here is a cracking little vid of the sort of underground waterfall thats stunning to see please enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HIZKOTxJ6s Dont normally do vids but because it was night pics where crap.
Also sorry for lighting in pics it was a bitch to get good lighting in big sections. Anyhow thanks all and hope you enjoyed it. And again big thanks to @The Lone Ranger and @Reich
