Underground areas worked up to 1836 at the King Pit, Norbury Colliery.

Taken from a 1950's OS which was redrawn for quarry purposes. I have amended it to show the 8 balance names more legibly and added a bit of colour. Note that SInc Bach seems disconnecetd compared to the others. This was because it's function had been replaced by the incline from Red Lion down to Sinc Bach, just below the Princess May Balance.

Scetches of underground explorations by RF, levels Cadno and Roderick's Lower with SRT descents, 1993.

Plan and Section showing relationship between Richman's engine house and Stuckey's shaft, surveyed and drafted by Roger Baden Bradford, 1983.

Side view of Richman's engine house, surveyed and drafted by Roger Baden Bradford, early 1980s.

Plan of Richman's engine house and adjacent buildings and structures incl. Stuckey's Shaft. Drafted by Roger Baden Bradford during the 1980s.

Bryneglwys Quarries Surface Plan

Cross section interpretation by Kenneth Brown 2001

Engine House site interpretation by Kenneth Brown for Dartmoor National Park

Copy of section of undated 6" map.

Screen grab of Gemcom screen showing all workings viewed looking towards the NW.

Reproduced from "Rhosydd Slate Quarry" by M.J.T.Lewis & J.H.Denton with the kind permission of Dr. Michael Lewis.

Please do not distribute this document.

Survey done prior to middle adit being opened up

Based on survey in The Creosor File by Jon Knowles, as published in Ogofa

Note - Does not show the workings below the 0 Level.

Mapping for World-Wide Energy (UK) Ltd. Vein in the back of No. 1 Scram North (above No. 2 Level) Harding Vein. The first stope developed at this period. Note the "figs" of wolframite shown in black in the (pink) quartz.

Underground mapping for World-Wide Energy, June 1972. Smith Vein North, No. 2 Level. (Quartz shown in pink)

This was when the line was reconstructed to accommodate engines. Tou might need 20/20 vision to see the detail.

CAT survey. Copyright to CAT, if they ask me to remove it I will.;

Possibly the only one in existance, I purchased it from a gentlemen now deceased who lived at Truthwall.

The S.W. quadrant of the map.

The S.W. quadrant of the map.
As usual, the bit you want is on the edge!

1:25 000 First Series. Dated 1963.
Based on 6" sheets 1913-15, with revisions.

Copy of Sheet 78/ Southern Half. Dated as 1841 but very much based on the original survey data of 1816-1823. This is a copy of a facsimile printed in 1970. My apologies for any deficiency in quality.

From SH 66 1:25 000 First Series.
Dated 1958 but not greatly amended from the 1911/13 6" Sheets.

Coloured plan showing veins, flats, principal levels and geology of Rotherhope Flee area. Copy of original by KC Dunham

Plan and section of Messr's Hinchcliffes workings

Plan and Section with some surface features

Shows the conjectured stage by stage development, based on the abandonment plan.

Says it all really!

Plan of dressing floors at Jacksons level, Greenlaws Mine

This connecting level became the Floor 11 Landrover/Caplamp tour at Gloddfa Ganol

Based on Oakeley Plans and my own wanderings.

This plan has been prepared from an original which formed part of a report to the Ffestiniog Slate Group on the feasibility of expanding the Craig Ddu workings into the Manod Quarry workings. The plan shows the workings as existing circa 1983.

This is an extract from a plan of Tehidy Manor in 1737. It shows the 15 shafts of the mine which began life around 1500 and ended up as Wheal Basset. Interestingly, a recent archaeological survey of Higher Carnkie (Sharpe 1992: 28) located and named four of these disused shafts, Gigmagouge, Jonathans, Boundsbean and Whealcarn.

Map showing the original blondin locations, both horizontal and inclined ca. 1912 based on OS 1:2500 mapping with additional annotation etc.

a survey of the adit level of old gunnislake mine located under the cornish side of gunnislake bridge at river level.

Sketch of Henholmes Colliery remains from August 2004

a report by john grimes partnership in Plymouth on remedial works and hazard management relating to old gunnislake mine from 1992, has some useful maps and information on the mine.

I drew this plan for a guidebook - the tour was subsequently amended to include the view up the emergency exit.

I drew this plan for a guidebook - the tour was subsequently amended to include the view up the emergency exit.

Hand drawn plan, not to scale

A trip with Corris Mine Explorers to experience their tour of Braich Goch first hand.

Brief report of one day's initial exploration of the LE&DG with Farreste & ICLOK.

Revised slightly 2009
Memoirs of the West Cumbria Mine Research Society, Smallcleugh explorations. Collated by RF.

Description of a visit to the mine and chemical works at Hurlet from the Penny Magazine 1843

I think this was from Climber magazine, and I think it was about 1989 to 1991.

I think this was from Climber magazine, and I think it was about 1989 to 1991.

A recent exploration and some interpretation of this mine.

A description of my explorations including another one of my digging projects.

A description of my explorations of these mines over the years

Description of my explorations of this mine in 1996.

A report on my explorations of this mine in the 1990s

This mainly covers the exploration of Scaleburn after the discovery of the horse gin.

Trip reports and drawings etc scanned from the West Cumbria Mine Research Group journals late 1980s to about 1996 covering virtually the complete exploration of this mine including many places not previously entered by modern explorers. Permission to reproduce from Dave Banks, chairman WCMRG.

This is a ticket for coal delivered in Macclesfield from the Norbury Colliery weighing machine in the town centre at Waters Green. As the colliery had no rail access at this time, the coal will have been brought by boat along the Macclesfield Canal. It will have been loaded on the Norbury Colliery private canal arm at Middlewood.

Gloddfa Ganol Tourist leaflet

an extract from the tavistock times november 5th 1868.
unclear if it relates to monkstone or one of the smaller brentor workings.

Not marketing material for a mine, but for the site. Download, print and share :)

Eight page fold-out document given out to visitors in the early 1990s. A good summary of the operation at that time.

A description of Slate Mining written originally for Gloddfa Ganol, and the Oakeley Quarries, but much of which could equally apply to most of the Ffestiniog Slate Quarries.

Candles to Caplamps was originally written in 1975-76 and slightly revised in 1980, regrettably we never got round to a third revision, though both that and a new Gloddfa Ganol Guidebook were planned. Some of the historical content is slightly inaccurate due to research of much greater depth between then and now. Much of the content was arrived at after discussion with various quarrymen in the Queen's and Commercial hotels in Blaenau - who were insistent that I got it right!

This brought the news that the old tour via instanley had closed and a new tour was being constructed on the surface on the site of the screens. It contained a description of the new tour and the reasoning behind it. (Five years later the whole site closed again.)

This was the guide book to the Mining Museum in the early 1980's, when visitors descended the Winstanley Shaft into the genuine working display, which is described here.

This was my draft of the history of Wynne and the Cambrian Quarries, produced in the 1980's for the James' who were running Wynne as a tourist mine. See the introduction for more commentary.

Old leaflet for Llywernog Silver-Lead Mine

Found this on the web by accident. Quite an interesting little doc especially if your Cornish!

This is the original guidebook which was written for Gloddfa Ganol (not by me!) and which we somehow never got round to re-writing, instead I wrote "Candles to Caplamps" and "Walk into the Slate Mountain" and alsways intended to produce a similar thing for the Floor 11 landrover Safari, complete with Certificate to be signed by the guide (sighs!).

This was the guide I wrote for the Tourist level at Gloddfa Ganol. There was another tour up on floor 11, but I never got round to printing the descriptive for it. The first version of this was duplicated, then when all that got used up Wil had it re-printed by Cambrian News press.

A one off open day.

Sequence of work, to seal fill & cap 2 NCB shafts 1968

The oft quoted but seldom read referance to early blasting at Ecton.
From W. Hoosen A Mining Dictionary pub. 1747

Written by the late Rodney Weaver in 1978 in his typical style. This describes the development, and application of Kellow's amazing rock drill.

Description of mill in E. Henry Davies's book Machinery for Metalliferous Mines, 1902

Description of mill in E. Henry Davies's book Machinery for Metalliferous Mines, 1902

I prepared this advice as a handout for the Local Cave/Mine Leadship Assessment in North Wales. It should be of general interest though.

Extracted from the Mining Journal, describes how Cooke & Hunter's tunnelling machine was to save the day...

Describes how the power driven inclines at Oakeley were worked and gives a detailed description of the "C" Incline.

This document by the late Rodney Weaver formed part of our joint reports on HafodLas. I have updated it with additional information gleaned since then.

Reports from ulverston mirror 1871 on boring operations at Lindal Cote by F B Beaumont's diamond rock Boring machine.

This company worked tolcarne east mine also. This is a cost book Co certificate the limited Co one is listed under Tolcarne East mine. These are very rare certificates and may be the only surviving ones from this mine. They turned up 4 years apart from 2 dealers 200 miles apart and are made out to the same person!!!

This mine worked with Rosecliff mine. This certificate is for the limited company, I have listed the cost book certificate on th Rosecliff mine section

I think this mine was worked earlier by Uranium Mines limited I have put this share certificate under Uranium mine.

Share certificate for 25,000 £1 shares, dated 1912

Part 1 of 3 recording the exciting exploration and discoveries of the Coniston Copper Mines in the Red Dell workings from 1974 onwards.

A scientific study of this unique graphite deposit has now been completed. This is a record of that visit to Seathwaite Borrowdale and results from the technical reports.

PDF of the panorama photo (Dec 2009)

The board is situated next to the site of the Mill Dam Lead Mine

Notice board about Hucklow Edge Vein, the board is situated near to the school playground which is the approx site of Smithy Coe Mine

Information board about the Rake West of Great Hucklow, the board is situated off the road between Windmill and Great Hucklow

The Cost Book Company was an entity formed under Stannary Law in the counties of Cornwall and Devon. Outside of these counties a company could only be formed by Royal Letters Patent or by act of parliament prior to the Joint Stock Companies Act of 1844.
However, the cost book principle being a principle of internal management and accounting etc was universal throughout the 19th Century, even after the Limited Liability Act of 1855. This act meant that it was now easier to form a company; however its shareholders did not enjoy limited liability, as they were to find out.
Later in 1855 the Limited Liability Act rectified this, and then in 1856 a new Joint Stock Companies Act merged the 2 separate pieces of legislation.
It is important for the mining historian to bear in mind that the cost book principle did not a cost book company make!
This pdf file is created from extracts taken from the Mining Journal as a supplement to the 1853 volume 23, and was written prior to the 1855 act as there had been a lot of argument back and forth on the subject of cost book v limited liability. Letters in the Mining Journal had been a regular feature.

A short history

This document was originally written for an evening class in geology & industrial archeology that I did in 2008/2009.

An account from The North Australian and Queensland General Advertiser 25th March 1862 - more than two months after the event which took place on January 16th of that year.

Historical document produced for the Australian Bicentennial in 1988

update document with details of various mines

Extracted from Practical Coal Mining 1907

A public flyer outlining Newmont's plans to relocate the pumphouse.

An article from "Caban" giveing meanings for common terms in use in the quarry.

Newspaper account of a terrible accident at Coniston Coppermine

Thomas Jones' Report on his proposed untopping contained about 30 cross sections to show the existing workings and the effects of the untopping. This is a (Simplified!) version of one of them.

Thomas Jones proposed to the Oakeley Board that they should untop the workings, thus gaining all the slate left in the walls down to floor L.

Based on available information.

Article on a Deep Dive down the flooded Old Engine Shaft ....Coniston copper mines.

Narrow guage track to Chistow sidings

Notes on Birch Aller prepared for Bridford village Millenium history project.

site interpretation Kenneth Brown

Narrow guage railway from Devon Basalt & Granite Co.'s (Paddy Dixon's) quarry, passing via Bridford Barytes to Christow railhead.

Schedule of production and employment 1876 to 1896

Notes made for Bridford Millenium history project on development of mine, drawn from several sources, attributed where possible.

National Trust document (the land owners) on the mines history with diagrams and photos.

Sale advert in Exeter Flying Post.
There was a repeat advert in October 1955 indicating the initial sale was unsuccessful.

Letter refering to the removal of tin tailings from Dolcoath tin streams

Very interesting letter refering to a boundary dispute with South Crofty mine. South Crofty miners working within Tincroft mine!!!

Policy guideline document.
July. 2008

A memo refering to Halvinna mine which was owned by the same company at this time.

A rare letter from this famous mining engineer.

Letter about the sale of a 28 foot Lancashire boiler at the mine

Interesting letter about the sale of "Imperial" and "Hydromax" Rock drills.

A very detailed and interesting letter giving information on the mine and tin grades obtained.

Letter refering to sampling of the alluvial deposits at this site.

also listed under Kingsdown Mine

I will also list these on the Hewas Water site

Mentions arsenic soot from Drakewalls mine

This show the wages paid to the employees in1956!!

I have posted this on the Geevor site as well

An important letter showing the number of employees at Geevor and levant at the time of its closure in 1921, I will post this on the Levant site as well

Invoice to South Crofty; 4 second hand rock drills

spelt wrong but can only be this mine,not sure which one so I will post on both

This letter is from Wheal Jane mine I will also list it there

Letter dated 1913

A letter about Wheal Benny. I will post it on this mines site as well

A comprehensive work from the JNCC, areas of which will be of interest to the underground exploration community, as well as others.
Thanks to the authors and the Angus Bat Group.

Reproduced for AditNow with kind permission from the author Rob Vernon

Description of the reopening of the Great Wheal Charlotte deep adit.

a booklet issued in 1969 to celebrate 100 years of production at woolley and 1m tons in 1969

This was an early summary of the geology of the Chelopech high-sulphidation Cu-Au deposit and formed the basis of later papers by various authors.

An interesting and quite colourful description of the mine from a correspondant to the Mining Journal, October 17, 1835.

Glossary of Mining Terms: Taken from the Mining Journal Supplement of 1848. Cornwall, Derbyshire and smelting terms of France, Spain, and Germany.

A document found at Baddesley Ensor mine during the time after closure, before final demolition.

Thought I'd already put this here. If it's a duplicate, tell me!

Acknowledgements: Thanks to the Trevithick Society and author for permission to use this article.

Poems by an ex-miner about the colliery and its characters

by ex-owner Clive Seal

The Bushveld Complex - possibly the most valuable ore deposit in the world?

The demand for coal in the 1950s was huge,as seen in this letter from
Egypt to Ireland.

Acknowledgements.
Thanks to the Trevithick Society and the author for permission to reproduce this article.

Acknowledgements.
Thanks to the Trevithick Society and the author for permission to reproduce this article.

This doc. has been uploaded with permission from the Trevithick Socirty and the author.

This is the text of a document I produced in 1990 for the Red Rose Live Steam Group who were undertaking the restoration of the No.1 Winding Engine.

I wrote this, with some accompanying illustrations for the Red Rose Live Steam Society, who were working on the restoration of the Astley No.1 Winding Engine.
A separate document describes the engine in detail.

This I found among my South Crofty Collection. where they buying stuff from Wheal Martha or acting as consultants?

A brief description by Burrow of his technique in taking the underground mining photos of 1893.

Share Cert 1875

Share Certificate from 1871

A little biography

a share certificate from te last company to work the roughton gill mines

Copy of NAMHO's guidelines on mine exploration from their website

A comprehensive and now out of print volume of high quality information.

A letter from the widow of a mine engine worker sent to her brother in New Zealand thanking him for a gift of £5 when she and young children existed on £1/month.

Letter recently brought to UK from New Zealand. “exHayle” was born very near Mellanear and remembers Great Aunt Laura.

All five children survived – William becoming a mine engine stoker, Elizabeth was exHayle’s grandmother while (baby) Alfred became a wagon driver. Mary appears in the1891 census as a widow of 58 supporting herself.

A letter from the widow of a mine engine worker sent to her brother in New Zealand thanking him for a gift of £5 when she and young children existed on £1/month.

Letter recently brought to UK from New Zealand. “exHayle” was born very near Mellanear and remembers Great Aunt Laura.

All five children survived – William becoming a mine engine stoker, Elizabeth was exHayle’s grandmother while (baby) Alfred became a wagon driver. Mary appears in the1891 census as a widow of 58 supporting herself.

A summary of research notes and comments on the Krisuvik sulphur 'mines' of Iceland.

History of mining in the area around Linley Hall, Shropshire

Transcript from London Illustrated News dated 4th Oct 1856

This is a photographic tour of the Talybont deep adit and covers most of its unusual features. There is some very striking (no pun intended) geology which is currently being assessed.

this is a letter i received re copyright from uk coal to say no objections from them re copying this booklet

Twelve years later.
RioTinto made a stunning, yet almost un-reported, admission of negligence and liability in poisoning hundreds of people with its Capper Pass tin smelter near the English City of Hull. In June, the company began a process of settlement that according to the Yorkshire Post, a local paper, could open the compensation floodgates for former workers and families who claim their health was blighted by exposure to noxious chemicals.

Public Health Act-a report to the General Board of Health.

Paper read to the NEIMME in 1857 by Mr Jos. Bewick

Parys Underground Group, notes for visiting caving/mining groups

Document copyright PUG

This is an account of the construction of the two Menai Strait bridges from "Wonders of World Engineering" published in 1937.

Receipt for coal from Dukerton Colliery near Bath dated 1910, the year after the riots over working conditions. This page displays itemised deliveries, tonnages and prices.

Reciept for coal from Dunkerton Colliery near Bath Dated 1910.With itemised delivery entries.

Pictures of Armstrong engines at Allenheads

Letter to Professor Behre re his visit to Sipton and asking his opinion on several matters.

Extracts from Wb Lead Co reports on Swinhope in 1860's

Short report by T B Steuart for the Weardale Lead Co in 1884

Short report on Hope Level for the Weardale Lead Co by T B Steuart 1884

Report on Groverake Mine for the Weardale Lead Co by T B Steuart. 1884

AditNow Mining History Society Constitution.

A digitalisation of material from PDMHS Bulletin Vol 8 No 2 including description, drawings and surveys.

Produce, Silver Lead and Zinc Blende.

For anyone interested in early Tramway locos.

An extract from the paper read by W.F.Cooke to the Society of Arts in 1867

I've entered thewm into the SW data base.

This is a very slightly edited version of the patent document. (Drawings will be posted separately) It applies to the second form of Tunneling machine.

Provenance of some bronze age artifacts using mainly lead isotope ratios. Quite an interesting article.

Please excuse my induldgence. It was an essay I wrote for book that wasn't used but still contains a fair amount of information. Explains the lack of photos.

Ore stats for Cornwall 1845-1913 and list of all mines including grid refs.

A collection of reports by some well respected gentlemen of the day giving glowing reports as to the potential of this sett....or is it just another good old example of 'bal selling'?

A company set up in 1967 by Allan Evans to manufacture and retail slate crafts and products.

A bill head for Gelignite from this famous old factory deep in the wooded valley of Kennel Vale near Ponsanooth. The remains of the grinding mills are still to be seen in this very picturesque valley. The company name is still in existance albeit now owned by a foreign manufacturer, and one of only a few still producing black powder.

A Study of Miners' Phthisis in Cornwall and the Transvaal 1876-1918.

A valuable source of basic information, hard to find anywhere else without having to trawl through hundreds of records at county archives.

Written by Dr Marilyn Palmer and Peter Neaverson, published by NMRS in 1987. This copy has been made for private study only as per copywrite on original copy.

A subject that isn't delt with very well in the history of mining in the south west. Apologies for the formatting.

Borrowed from a kind ex Manod quarryman

This is a very shortened version. Forgive the writing on the bottom, I'm on a steep learning curve conerting to PDF files.

Description of underground exploration and digging projects and recent work by WMS to secure the adit shaft for future access.

This is made up of scans of the reports in my possession which are probably incomplete. Useful as general interest or to historical researchers.

Written by Cyril Brackenbury in 1912 the work is long out of print, but of great interest to modern historians

I wrote this report for the Red Rose Live Steam Society when they were considering preserving the Point of Ayr's Steam Winding Engine