“Question “ pencil gallery

[Tomferry]

Have been reading my most recent purchase from Mike at   “moorebooks “ the book is called black avalanche .

In a chapter the rescue team have to walk through a abandoned section of the mine  called pencil gallery ?

In my opinion/ guess a pencil gallery in a pit would probably be a section where pillar robbing could have taken place leaving a large open void / chamber and many vertical pit props inserted having their own  foot plates and ceiling plates with wedges to tighten them ?

Would like to know if I have understood the term correctly am sure others have heard of it 


Tad confused also as I thought gallery was a slate term not used in pits ?


Tom

[Cantclimbtom]

Is it coal, and what is the era?

Just talking out of my backside not knowing the above, could it be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longwall_mining where the face advances and the gob collapses behind as they move the props (hydraulic jacks in modern times) forwards. If so, could it be a seam/face not being extracted but supported as a long chamber with all the props left in place so they could come back to it?

[Fulk]

Was it the Borrowdale Graphite Mines?

[Tomferry]

It was at Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery, in New Cumnock, Ayrshire, in September of 1950 so coal mines . I don’t believe their machinery was that far advanced yet as they didn’t even have a canteen,  It has mentioned very little  of modern methods seems a more traditional style of mining being used .

[Cantclimbtom]

Was it the Borrowdale Graphite Mines?

It just wasn't 2B