Shaft/dig on Wetton Hill

[Dave Tyson]

Had a wander over Wetton Hill today and noticed evidence of mining. There appears to be a capped shaft at SK113563, shining a torch down the vent hole showed it dropped about 20-30'. A bit further down the hill there appeared to be a possible adit  or dig covered with a piece of corrugated iron. There were other holes around, but it started to rain curtailing further investigation. Photos below:

Does anyone have any information about this mine or adit/dig.  PM me needs to be kept out of public view [I think some of the site is owned by the National Trust]

Cheers,
Dave

 

[martinm]

Had a wander over Wetton Hill today and noticed evidence of mining. There appears to be a capped shaft at SK113563, shining a torch down the vent hole showed it dropped about 20-30'. A bit further down the hill there appeared to be a possible adit  or dig covered with a piece of corrugated iron. There were other holes around, but it started to rain curtailing further investigation. Photos below:

Does anyone have any information about this mine or adit/dig.  PM me needs to be kept out of public view [I think some of the site is owned by the National Trust]

Cheers,
Dave

It's all in the public domain Dave. The top photo shows the cap over a deep mine shaft little documentation of which exists. The bottom photo shows the entrance to a small but interesting  hand picked (but with a blasted side passage) mine which I was supposed to be surveying a couple of years ago, but forgot about! (The sign looks worse for wear. unsurprisingly! That hill gets a battering every winter. Must get back up there to survey it. When I get another Disto.)

BTW, it is on NT land, they know about it and I am an NT volunteer.

Regards Mel. DCA Conservation Officer.

 

[Dave Tyson]

Hi Mel,

thanks for the info!
Next time I am in that area (and have suitable attire!) I'll have a look inside and take some photos.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[JAM]

That's a substantial cap.. Any idea how deep it is, Mel?

 

[martinm]

That's a substantial cap.. Any idea how deep it is, Mel?

Soz no. Bob Dearman or someone from PDHMS might know. I do know that rocks dropped down it in the early 80's (after shouting "below" and waiting awhile) seemed to go a long way down before hitting anything!

We have apparently got the approval of the NT for removing it and installing a caver friendly cap instead, so we can have a look around and get it documented properly. Will have to chase this up and find out the current situation...

Regards, Mel.

 

[Paz Vale]

Had a look at this in the early '80's with Bill Bentley.  I can't find my notes from the trip but seem to remember the shaft was less than 100 ft deep with a level off near the bottom into some workings.  One level cut through a natural vertical rift, choked with spoil.  The mine worked a mineralised fault which runs toward Plantation Swallet which was the reason for our interest at the time as we had just broken through into the top of the boulder choke in there.

A report of an early exploration of the mine by the Birmingham Cave & Crag Club in 1950 can be found  in A.B.Affords History of the Cave & Crag, Chapter 2