Cave diver and photographer Martyn Farr has produced a tempting array of descriptions and photographs of 100 cave and mine sites. Hidden Realms aims to shine a light into some of the most alluring caves and mines in Great Britain and Ireland. One hundred sites have been chosen, in keeping with the recent vogue for…
A cobalt mine, abandoned in the early 19th century, has been discovered at Alderley Edge in Cheshire revealing a ‘time capsule’ of personal objects and equipment the workers left behind. The shaft ran in after the unusually wet weather in 2019/2020 and was found by a warden surveying the field. The Derbyshire Caving Club then…
Reigate has a brand new tunnel, thanks to the efforts of High Peak Geotechnical Ltd., acting on instruction from the Wealden Cave and Mine Society (WCMS). WCMS opens three caves within the centre of Reigate, Surrey, for public tours, under licence from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. One of the three caves is an abandoned…
Guest contributor Becky Morris provides some thoughts on how the effects of mining on the planet can be minimised. Becky is a content and digital marketer working on behalf of Mineco. She specialises in creating inventive and engaging articles, blog posts and graphics. Becky has a high level of knowledge within the mining industry. As…
Mike Moore reviews a valuable addition to any mine explorer’s book collection. This new book is a detailed study of the lead, silver and zinc mines of the Cwm Rheidol and Ystumtuen orefield, covering the history of all 40 mines in the valley, with archaeological descriptions of the surface and underground workings, and is supported…
Holmebank Chert Mine Fan Entrance lock installation 9th January 2018 Today I was up at Holmebank Chert Mine near Bakewell on behalf of the Derbyshire Caving Association and the Peak Instructed Caving Affiliation. One of the access points to the …
A certain Welshman has been pestering a couple of us to visit this mine for some time. Max and Richard picked me up on Friday night, stopping for a pub dinner on our way to the hostel in Corris.This is a very pretty mine, the open chambers give a …
One of the pleasures I get from being involved in the underground exploration of old mine workings is discovering that there is often just as much on the surface to discover as there is below ground. I have taken an interest in industrial archaeology for as long as I have been going underground – indeed…
Mining firm, Wolf Minerals, has opened the UK’s first new metal mine in 40 years at its Drakelands Mine near Hemerdon, Plymouth. The huge site has one of the largest tungsten and tin resources in the western world. This area has been recognised as an important source of tungsten minerals for many years, and was…
At midday on 18th December 2015, the last shift of miners was brought to surface at Kellingley Colliery in Yorkshire. The papers and television channels hailed it as the end of the era of deep coal mining in Britain. 450 workers were made redundant, like countless miners before them over decades of pit closures. I…
