Secret Britian BBC1

[barrabus]

Tonight's episode featured a trip down Middleton Limestone mine which has 26miles of very large passage and will be available on the iplayer for another week.

Next weeks features Julia Bradbury doing a trip down Dolly Tubs to view Alum Pot. Sunday 29th 9pm BBC1.

 

[dunc]

Thought I caught a passing glimpse of "that view" when they were advertising it. Must get round to watching them now!!

 

[martinm]

Excellent program! Thanx for letting us know about it. Been to Lud's Church a couple of times, but never heard of Middleton Limestone Mine before, what an amazing place. That 'Blue Pool' in Wales looked great too. 

 

[zomjon]

Before people get too excited by Middleton Mine, remember there is no access agreement and entry is only via the continued holes that people keep cutting in the grating of the ventilation shaft.

 

[Big Jim]

Before people get too excited by Middleton Mine, remember there is no access agreement and entry is only via the continued holes that people keep cutting in the grating of the ventilation shaft.

And occassionally get trapped inside after new ones are welded back on

Great places though-  done it once in a Landy whilst it was still working. Must get back soon with a bat detector.

 

[Rhys]

Is Middleton Mine really "the only limestone mine in the UK"? They mined stone from the Milwr Tunnel didn't they?

 

[alasdair neill]

And lots of other places - only ones now working are I guess on Portland & Bath areas. Very extensive underground limestone mines in Scotland, Dudley area etc. But of course its on TV so it must be true - all the other mines must be a figment of my imagination.

 

[Brains]

The claim is of course pants, and can be traced to a BGS comment that "might" have been true when written that it was the only WORKING underground limestone mine.
There are workings underground for limestone at Limpley Stoke and elsewhere on the freestone, but the pedants will claim these are quarries not mines. There can be no doubt of the mining of limestone from the Millwr, but then again this was also a lead mine!
The erroneous claim has been oft repeated by those who belive all the see on-line...

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Dr. Alice Roberts swam the canal in Birkwith on her "Wild Swimming" programme on BBC4 in early August. Unfortunately it's no longer on the iPlayer but you might find a "grab" on Youtube although this is more likely to be the later skinnydip in the Lakes.

 

[tony from suffolk]

I got round to watching this program last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not being familiar with the area where the limestone mine's situated, I assume it's in Carboniferous? If so I wonder what became of any caves they came across? Presumably just quarried away...

 

[Mrs Trellis]

It's at the southern end of the Peak District limestone plateau where the limestone is said to be 5,000 feet deep but rarely contains large cave development , at least at the depth of that mine and even the much deeper lead mines. The main areas of large cave systems occur at the edges of the plateau eg at Castleton, Bradwell, Matlock, Stoney Middleton for reasonably well-understood  reasons.

 

[Rob]

...If so I wonder what became of any caves they came across?...

When a freind of my conscience had a look around he didn't see any significant natural features at all down there. Took some nice pictures though...

 

[tony from suffolk]

It's at the southern end of the Peak District limestone plateau where the limestone is said to be 5,000 feet deep but rarely contains large cave development , at least at the depth of that mine and even the much deeper lead mines.

I got the feeling from the collapse which was so evident on the surface that this mine was relatively shallow.

 

[Brains]

There is evidence of lead mines intersected by the quarry u/g, notably Bon Dog Hole.
There are also swallet features encountered in the mine, and on the survey are several features noted as cenotes...
The whole is quite shallow, and I seem to recall a lava bed overlies but I cant find the reference ATM

 

[dunc]

Secret Britain - hmmm, not so bloody secret now it's been plastered all over the beeb 

 

[owd git]

The geology of the matlock mines ( Trevor Ford) from the pav (PDHMS.) is a good insight to local geology and sequence of events in there formation. want a copy Brains? OwdGit.

 

[Brains]

The geology of the matlock mines ( Trevor Ford) from the pav (PDHMS.) is a good insight to local geology and sequence of events in there formation. want a copy Brains? OwdGit.

Got it thanks, excellent read it is to - just not sure where it ia ATM, probably bundled up with some copies of Descent somewhere!

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Just think if they'd have worked Eldon Hill the same way - we could have motored down into the Speedwell Master Cave.