So something a little different here, I have been working on a little project to drain a mine for a while. Unfortunately some idiots found the places, pasted it over youtube and tiktok and the council have now blocked it off. So I thought it's time to post a record of it and my little project. I only went once with my camera, so there is many phone pics in the report.
History
So there is almost no information on this mine at all, on the 1875 25inch OS maps all that shows is and 'old coal shaft.' You can tell by the layout of the mine and how it was worked that it is very old indeed. My personal take on it is that it was an old iron mine adit which was reused later as a haulage level from the shaft as shown in the map below. Later maps mark it as a fan shaft, probably for Birchenwood colliery which was located next to Harecastle woods. The iron was worked upwards, following the seam up to the surface using the pillar and stall method. The ore was sent down chutes into tubs at the bottom and taken out the mine.
As mentioned I believe it connected to the shafts that were just off the A34, the main haulage tunnel has remains of railway sleepers, air doors and remains of a wall along the length of the adit - probably a return/intake for air.
Map from 1875, with features highlighted
a map of coal/iron outcrops in the area
Rough layout of the mine + Features
The explore:
The mine itself is not the safest place on earth, there is numerous collapses with large lumps of rock now on the floor. The higher workings have a lot of waste on the floor which shredded my waders to bits. Also towards the end of the mine the oxygen drops quite a bit.
The original entrance, most people I spoke to who saw me poking around suggested it was just a culvert.
Remains of the first air door
Collapse at the first junction, facing towards the exit where it's maked as 'chamber' on the map above.
Boot left in the chamber, you can see the iron seam in the rock and there is a small low quality coal seam running through it. This is the only part of coal I found inside.
This is where the haulage road continues through the chamber heading towards the shafts. Someone had dug this out just below wader depth which gave me the inspiration to start digging further in.
Turning left I'm now facing towards where the chutes are.
Looking in the other direction at the crossroads now. It's not as rough past the junction.
Looking at the ledge that run across the top of the chamber
This next one is looking up at quite an angle
Roof support - at least these don't rot!
Looking at the way up to the higher levels. The camera is level so you can see the angle of the vein.
The iron seam, there is evidence of it being worked by hand. Its been undercut about an arms length from the rock face.
This is as far as I got going up, there is literally nothing solid to drag yourself up with. Note where the iron was on the left.
Some stacked behind a post on the haulage road
Now onto the crappy phone pictures
Remains of a wall. Probably to stop the air going up there
Water on the haulage level
Plant Fossils in the roof
Now for the dig.
About 50 metres down the main haulage tunnel there was a collapse where the roof had come in. You could get over the top of it but it was flooded to the roof on the other side. So I did what any normal person would do and planned to drain it by digging in a trench.
The beginings. I'd already dropped the water down a foot.
Short video overview of my first trench.
Bursting the dam (apologies for the wild camera movement)
The trench after some more widening
The trench got to about 6ft
Could finally start to see down the level
Left the pipe in now, just in case the trench collapsed on top.
Back the next week and of course its fell in.
So I dug out the other end of the pipe to get water flowing again
I have a couple more pictures to attach on to the next post.
History
So there is almost no information on this mine at all, on the 1875 25inch OS maps all that shows is and 'old coal shaft.' You can tell by the layout of the mine and how it was worked that it is very old indeed. My personal take on it is that it was an old iron mine adit which was reused later as a haulage level from the shaft as shown in the map below. Later maps mark it as a fan shaft, probably for Birchenwood colliery which was located next to Harecastle woods. The iron was worked upwards, following the seam up to the surface using the pillar and stall method. The ore was sent down chutes into tubs at the bottom and taken out the mine.
As mentioned I believe it connected to the shafts that were just off the A34, the main haulage tunnel has remains of railway sleepers, air doors and remains of a wall along the length of the adit - probably a return/intake for air.
Map from 1875, with features highlighted
a map of coal/iron outcrops in the area
Rough layout of the mine + Features
The explore:
The mine itself is not the safest place on earth, there is numerous collapses with large lumps of rock now on the floor. The higher workings have a lot of waste on the floor which shredded my waders to bits. Also towards the end of the mine the oxygen drops quite a bit.
The original entrance, most people I spoke to who saw me poking around suggested it was just a culvert.
Remains of the first air door
Collapse at the first junction, facing towards the exit where it's maked as 'chamber' on the map above.
Boot left in the chamber, you can see the iron seam in the rock and there is a small low quality coal seam running through it. This is the only part of coal I found inside.
This is where the haulage road continues through the chamber heading towards the shafts. Someone had dug this out just below wader depth which gave me the inspiration to start digging further in.
Turning left I'm now facing towards where the chutes are.
Looking in the other direction at the crossroads now. It's not as rough past the junction.
Looking at the ledge that run across the top of the chamber
This next one is looking up at quite an angle
Roof support - at least these don't rot!
Looking at the way up to the higher levels. The camera is level so you can see the angle of the vein.
The iron seam, there is evidence of it being worked by hand. Its been undercut about an arms length from the rock face.
This is as far as I got going up, there is literally nothing solid to drag yourself up with. Note where the iron was on the left.
Some stacked behind a post on the haulage road
Now onto the crappy phone pictures
Remains of a wall. Probably to stop the air going up there
Water on the haulage level
Plant Fossils in the roof
Now for the dig.
About 50 metres down the main haulage tunnel there was a collapse where the roof had come in. You could get over the top of it but it was flooded to the roof on the other side. So I did what any normal person would do and planned to drain it by digging in a trench.
The beginings. I'd already dropped the water down a foot.
Short video overview of my first trench.
Bursting the dam (apologies for the wild camera movement)
The trench after some more widening
The trench got to about 6ft
Could finally start to see down the level
Left the pipe in now, just in case the trench collapsed on top.
Back the next week and of course its fell in.
So I dug out the other end of the pipe to get water flowing again
I have a couple more pictures to attach on to the next post.
