Rake shaft Coal pit hole Rake?
- Thread starter DAN
- Start date
nickwilliams
Well-known member
Just off out to P6, but I think I've got some info. which may be of use. PM me your contact details.
Nick.
Nick.
SamT
Moderator
Sent you a load of stuff via email Dan.
Good effort getting permission. Ive always heard that its totally off limits.
From what I've read - you've got 3 shafts starting at the miner cottage in perry dale and going west..
Shaft 1.
2 to 5 are insignificant and probably filled
Shaft 6 (Edward Fletchers Old Founder) Deepest shaft on the rake - therefore probably at the highest point.
Shaft 7 (now known as Veer Shaft)
Shaft 8 was over the road in what now appears to be bit of a tip/yard. This was the site of the main pump engine and the shaft sounds impressive "widened to 12 * 9 feet".
Im guessing its only you who has permission to go.
Good effort getting permission. Ive always heard that its totally off limits.
From what I've read - you've got 3 shafts starting at the miner cottage in perry dale and going west..
Shaft 1.
2 to 5 are insignificant and probably filled
Shaft 6 (Edward Fletchers Old Founder) Deepest shaft on the rake - therefore probably at the highest point.
Shaft 7 (now known as Veer Shaft)
Shaft 8 was over the road in what now appears to be bit of a tip/yard. This was the site of the main pump engine and the shaft sounds impressive "widened to 12 * 9 feet".
Im guessing its only you who has permission to go.
Pitlamp
Well-known member
I've been down Rake Shaft - we just asked permission and went.
You're in the Eldon aren't you Dan? If so I bet the Eldon Library has the five issues of Dave Elliott's mid 1970s guides: Caves Of Northern Derbyshire which includes the "Perryfoot and Coalpithole" edition. This tells you all you need to know (including a survey and photographs). On our trip we found this to be very accurate and informative.
(My copy is out on loan to a caving friend at the moment otherwise I'd offer to photocopy the relevant bits for you.)
Much of the information in that probably originated from the classic BSA paper on Coalpithole Rake masterminded (if I remember rightly) by Les Salmon. Look in BSA Cave Science. I think the BCRA website includes an index to BSA stuff (as BSA & CRG combined to form BCRA in about 1972) - this should save a lot of leafing through other stuff.
If the Eldon doesn't have either of these you could talk nicely to the BCRA librarian who might be able to do you a copy of one of them. At least one of the people who have posted above has a copy too!
You're in the Eldon aren't you Dan? If so I bet the Eldon Library has the five issues of Dave Elliott's mid 1970s guides: Caves Of Northern Derbyshire which includes the "Perryfoot and Coalpithole" edition. This tells you all you need to know (including a survey and photographs). On our trip we found this to be very accurate and informative.
(My copy is out on loan to a caving friend at the moment otherwise I'd offer to photocopy the relevant bits for you.)
Much of the information in that probably originated from the classic BSA paper on Coalpithole Rake masterminded (if I remember rightly) by Les Salmon. Look in BSA Cave Science. I think the BCRA website includes an index to BSA stuff (as BSA & CRG combined to form BCRA in about 1972) - this should save a lot of leafing through other stuff.
If the Eldon doesn't have either of these you could talk nicely to the BCRA librarian who might be able to do you a copy of one of them. At least one of the people who have posted above has a copy too!
graham
New member
BSA Cave Science Vol 5 (33) pp 36- 52 1963 Coalpithole Rake by Les Salmon.
See also Vol 6 (42) pp 43 - 61 1967 The Peak Forest Mines - Part I. The Development of Coalpithole Mine by P.W. Crabtree.
One day I'll persuade BCRA that the copyright issues are not as bad as they reckon & all this lot will get scanned and put up online
See also Vol 6 (42) pp 43 - 61 1967 The Peak Forest Mines - Part I. The Development of Coalpithole Mine by P.W. Crabtree.
One day I'll persuade BCRA that the copyright issues are not as bad as they reckon & all this lot will get scanned and put up online
DAN
New member
Hi Graham,
i have pretty much got all the info about what is in the shafts, descriptions and surveys by Les salmon in 1963. The Problem is that i can find all the shafts except Rake shaft, it is the only shaft with a concrete cover apparently. As described by les Salmon 140 yards east of Veer is a big spoil mound there is flat area of around 100 square meters but we cant find an entrance. It dont think it will have been filled as you would not get a vehicle there to fill it, so i can only presume it is under 30 years of vegetation. We are going for a look tomorrow with a spade and some bars.
Dan
i have pretty much got all the info about what is in the shafts, descriptions and surveys by Les salmon in 1963. The Problem is that i can find all the shafts except Rake shaft, it is the only shaft with a concrete cover apparently. As described by les Salmon 140 yards east of Veer is a big spoil mound there is flat area of around 100 square meters but we cant find an entrance. It dont think it will have been filled as you would not get a vehicle there to fill it, so i can only presume it is under 30 years of vegetation. We are going for a look tomorrow with a spade and some bars.
Dan
T
T pot 1
Guest
Hi
Went down all the shafts on coalpithole rake with ben bentham back in the late 70s and early 80s,these exploits are I think recorded in the EPC journals
T pot
Went down all the shafts on coalpithole rake with ben bentham back in the late 70s and early 80s,these exploits are I think recorded in the EPC journals
T pot
T
T pot 1
Guest
Hi
Scratched me brain a bit after me last post, Graham Ogley & a guy named Mick Inscoe did a lot of work number 1 shaft, this shaft went into a huge boulder choke at the horizon of the supposed cartgate for the shafts. This choke was left alone because of instability. When myself & Ben dropped rake shaft the water levels were low (1974) but not low enough to find anything at the flooded level, Ben dived in both directions but no ways on could be found.
Hilltop shaft was next, we had a look in 3 maybe 4 levels but didn't find owt of note. Veer shaft was very much the same. Now number 10 shaft is interesting with its brick lining, we laddered down to the point where you can hear water issuing from behind the the bricks but it comes from the direction of Rushop Edge, this may be on the shale, limestone contact. Then we got diverted to a new dig this was to become P0, recorded in Descent and in DCRO records of a horse rescue from the same
T pot
Scratched me brain a bit after me last post, Graham Ogley & a guy named Mick Inscoe did a lot of work number 1 shaft, this shaft went into a huge boulder choke at the horizon of the supposed cartgate for the shafts. This choke was left alone because of instability. When myself & Ben dropped rake shaft the water levels were low (1974) but not low enough to find anything at the flooded level, Ben dived in both directions but no ways on could be found.
Hilltop shaft was next, we had a look in 3 maybe 4 levels but didn't find owt of note. Veer shaft was very much the same. Now number 10 shaft is interesting with its brick lining, we laddered down to the point where you can hear water issuing from behind the the bricks but it comes from the direction of Rushop Edge, this may be on the shale, limestone contact. Then we got diverted to a new dig this was to become P0, recorded in Descent and in DCRO records of a horse rescue from the same
T pot
LarryFatcat
Active member
Dan said:
So.. ...tell us more, how did you find it, what is the entrance like, the rig and how was the trip, what did you find?
had a trip down Veer Shaft 10 years ago, remember a nice Y hang in spits for 2nd P, one peeled a large slate of the wall as I put weight on the rope.
DAN
New member
Hi,
Well on the trip last week we spent an hour or looking for the entrance after digging in a pile of leaves we found the shaft. Bob Toogood and i got a rope set up with a scaff tube, the shaft top it's self is is good condition. Its a halling shaft about four and a half foot by six foot very impressive and well built. The ginging extends about 25 feet or so and on one side is supported by timber which is a bit dodge, but a plan has been sorted to rectify this. We got got to the bottom level and just insid there is a 20 feet drop into water which for now is blind maybe the water levels are up. John Pemberton followed me down the shaft and while i set of back up he found another hole in the floor which went down to water. On Les Salmons servey he shows stacked deads in the roof that nearly connect to the level above which is in this area maybe it now connects anyway we will find out sat morning. Otherwise getting to the the boulder choke might only be possable in heavy drought, the bottom of the shaft no longer has water just thick silt maybe the whole thing is full of silt.
Derek did the shaft have water in th bottom when you were last there?
Dan
Well on the trip last week we spent an hour or looking for the entrance after digging in a pile of leaves we found the shaft. Bob Toogood and i got a rope set up with a scaff tube, the shaft top it's self is is good condition. Its a halling shaft about four and a half foot by six foot very impressive and well built. The ginging extends about 25 feet or so and on one side is supported by timber which is a bit dodge, but a plan has been sorted to rectify this. We got got to the bottom level and just insid there is a 20 feet drop into water which for now is blind maybe the water levels are up. John Pemberton followed me down the shaft and while i set of back up he found another hole in the floor which went down to water. On Les Salmons servey he shows stacked deads in the roof that nearly connect to the level above which is in this area maybe it now connects anyway we will find out sat morning. Otherwise getting to the the boulder choke might only be possable in heavy drought, the bottom of the shaft no longer has water just thick silt maybe the whole thing is full of silt.
Derek did the shaft have water in th bottom when you were last there?
Dan
