DOCSLIB.ORG

The Newsletter of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Newsletter of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society CAT The Newsletter of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society Goldscope - Back Level entrance and wheel pit No.72 August 2003 Cover Picture As previewed in the February Newsletter, a meet was held on April 27~to examine Goldscope mine, both above and below ground, in order to decide whether or not it is suitable for CAT's next big project. Goldscope is probably the oldest Lake District mine still accessible, dating from 1565, and was worked at various times for both copper and lead. So far as is known there are no photographs of the mine working, but there is talk of a sale of equipment there within living memory. There are however some fine Elizabethan remains, which include a coffin level, an underground wheel pit, the foundations of a waterwheel on the surface and a jewel of a reservoir situated at the head of the valley between Hindscarth and Robinson. The turnout was disappointing - just the two meet leaders, Gerry Goldsborough and Roger Ramsden, with Peter Fleming, Mark Simpson and Ian Matheson. We spent some time examining and trying to interpret the underground waterwheel chamber and to locate the position of the shaft, decided that a bypass tunnel had been driven to provide access after a larger wheel had been installed, and that a lot of deads had been contained behnd timber revetments which have now collapsed. Sadly, to clear them and deal with the fallen debris would be a task beyond our resources. We spent some time examining some ancient surface workings where there are very numerous pick marks. This now open area seems once to have been a narrow stope, but one huge side has fallen outwards so that the gap at the top is now 40 feet wide! We also examined the famous coffin level, now accessible from the surface via a bottomless dustbin, and the foundations of the waterwheel that is shown on the cover picture. IM Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society Newsletter No 72, August 2003 Cover Picture Inside front cover Contents: Editorial Page 2 CATMHS Library and Archive 2004 NAMHO Conference Membership Page 3 News Newland Furnace conservation plan Page 4 Haig Colliery Museum Page 5 Great Orme Bronze Age copper mine HSE Work at Height regulations Page 6 Public Liability Insurance Woodbine Chimney Page 7 Incident on Coniston Old Man Page 10 A Motley Crew - the response Page 11 Meet Reports: Furness copper mine Page 14 Caudale quarries Page 16 Daylight Hole Page 19 Bleabeny Hause & Broughton Moor Page 22 Mandell's Office Page 23 Articles: John Brogden & Sons, contributed by Peter Sandbach Page 24 Minutes of CATMHS committee meetings held on 17&March & 12&May Page 29 Society Officers and Committee members. Back cover CAT web site: www.catmhs.co.uk Editorial knows of any relevant material please let me know. Apologies I am sorry to say that some errors crept CATMHS Library & Archive into the last Newsletter: Our library and archive has now been At the Silver Gill meet on 231~March installed in the Armitt Library and John Crammond was not present, but Museum at Ambleside. The Armitt is Geoff Cram was. housed in a modern purpose built building on the Charlotte Mason In the meets list, enclosed with the last Campus, just opposite the main Rydal newsletter, the dates were omitted for Road car park. There is free parking at John Knowles' Welsh Weekend, held the library. It has a nationally on July 5Lh& 6Lh. important collection of local literature and of Beatrix Potter watercolours, as The date for the AGM and Dinner well as an extensive local history should read the 13h of December. The archive. In the museum downstairs 14'~is of course a Sunday. There is a there is a permanent local history change of venue; this year it will be exhibition, augmented throughout the held at the Crown Hotel, Coniston. year by a series of temporary Booking forms will be included with exhibitions on a variety of subjects. the November Newsletter. Don't forget There is a charge for visiting the that the BMSC hut in Coppermines museum, but the library, and the Valley is booked so that CAT CATMHS archive, is free. Just go to members can stay for the weekend. the front desk and say that you would like to see it. We are extremely grateful to the Armitt for this facility, CATMHS Leaflet. and it is important that it is used. The At last the revised CAT leaflet is Annitt Trustees have agreed to house available, in time for this years our collection for two years, after NAMHO Conference. It had been which time it will be reviewed. If it has delayed for some time whilst we been shown to be of interest and to investigated the best and most attract visitors then it is probable that it economical way of producing it. The will be extended. If not . well, we finished article has been printed with a may need to look for somewhere else, laser printer by Karen Beer, who did so please, if you are in the Ambleside the layout. Thanks Karen. area at any time, make a point of visiting and making your interest Coniston Copper Mine Records. known. Further to my notes in the last Newsletter regarding the whereabouts NAMHO Conference 2004 of records and documents pertaining to Preparations for this event, which we the Coniston copper mine, I received are hosting at Coniston in July next an email from Dave Bridge with year, are getting underway, and a good information about records in the Bill deal of groundwork has been done. Shaw and John Crompton Archives at The venue, John Ruskin School, has Carlisle Record Office. I hope in due been booked, and a meets and visits course to compile and publish a list or programme agreed. You can find catalogue of all known Coniston information and an accommodation list Copper Mine records, so if anyone else on the CATMHS web site, www.catmhs.co.u k Membership furnace at Newland was one of the We welcome the following new eight charcoal fired blast furnaces members: constructed in the Furness region of Cumbria during the first half of the John Davies is a former member and eighteenth century, and in many meets secretary and has renewed after respects is one of the most important. a 2 year lapse. John is a keen activist Its archaeological and historical and explorer, and has already been significance is reflected in its recent coerced by Mark to help to survey designation as a Scheduled Monument. Earthquake Passage at Coniston. In 1998 the Newland Trust was Adrian Mills, who comes from formed, and a nine hundred and ninety- Cockermouth. Adrian is a former nine year lease was procured for the member of MOLES, and is interested furnace in 2001. Since 1989 the in the whole range of mining activities furnace, together with the blowing house and charging house have been Tracey Binks. Tracey, who is a subject to a programme of scientist, lives in Broughton. She has consolidation by a team of volunteers, 12 years caving & SRT experience, mainly CATMHS members. and is a member of Furness SRT. The Conservation Plan, commissioned Susan & Christopher Halsey, from by the Trust to formulate a Broughton in Furness. Both are conservation plan and to support future interested in keeping the memory of applications for funding, has mining in the area alive. Susan Halsey incorporated an assessment of the is a librarian, and her family, Shaw, is historical and archaeological local to Coniston and has long been background of the site, which has connected to mining and quarrying in focused on the wider setting of the the area. monument, and the results make very interesting reading. The Newsletter Steve Dickinson from Ulverston. Editor has a copy, which is available to Steve is an archaeologist and members for short term loan, and Heritage/Discovery programme co- which will in due course be deposited ordinator. He has wide experience of in the CATMS library at the Armitt archaeological research, writing and Museum in Ambleside. public presentation, and is currently writing a field guide to the archaeology Newland Furnace on Radio of the Lake District, 5000 BC - 1650 Cumbria AD. Members of the Newland Furnace Trust took part in a 15 minute CATMHS currently has 1 15 members. broadcast by Radio Cumbria, as part of 'Restoration', the BBC's major new News programme looking at the UK's architectural heritage. Newland Furness Conservation Plan A conservation plan for the Newland The programme was introduced by furnace was undertaken by Oxford Radio Cumbria's Paul Braithwaite, and Archaeology North on behalf of the the interviews were conducted by Cas Newland Furnace Trust between Graham. It features the voices of John August and December 2002. The iron Helme, Dr John Marshall, Dave Robson, Paul Timewell and Peter suspected was asbestos. It was a Sandbach. It opens with an difficult inspection using a torch. He introduction by John Helme, who also reported waste, some of it with describes the furnace, then Dave asbestos, being burned outside. Before Robson tells of the preliminary work we can lift the prohibition notice the clearing rubbish out of the building place will have to be properly before John Marshall talks about the decontaminated. They will have to get forming of the Newland Trust. They specialists in. There will have to be air take it in turns to describe the sampling to check for fibres and they importance of the furnace, how it will have to get nil results from all operated in the old days, its effect on areas.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Part 1 of the Bibliography Catalogue
    Bibliography - L&NWR Society Periodicals Part 1 Titles - A to LNWR Registered Charity - L&NWRSociety No. 1110210 Copyright LNWR Society 2014 Title Year Volume Page American European News Letter Drawing of Riverside Station and notes on the new station 1895 Archive Industrial Railways and tramways of Flintshire. Maps 7 photos. Ffrith branch 1998 18 The Argus Poignant rememberance. Collision of SS.Connemara Nov 1916 2006 13/09 97 Menu Card from Greenore Hotel opening. 2007 03/07 30 Sale of Quay St. station building in Dundalk. 2007 03/07 76 Bournemouth Graphic F.W.Webb Obituary. The Bournemouth Graphic. 1906 06/14 Business History Labour and Business in Modern Britain British Railway Workshops 1838-1914 1989 31/02 8 Branch Line News Supplement No.7 to Branch Line News sheet. Branch lines closed 1964-68. Other changes. 1969 120A Yorkshire & the Humber (South Yorkshire) Sheffield LNWR Goods 2001 09/22 210 North West England. Wapping Branch and Former Lime St. Tunnel Ventilation Chimney 2004 08/21 187 Wales. Spelling discrepancies 2004 10/16 235 Yorkshire & the Humber. Kirkburton Branch 2004 11/13 259 Yorkshire & the Humber. Deighton 2004 11/21 269 Yorkshire & the Humber. Deighton 2005 01/12 7 Bahamas Locomotive Society Journal 'Basher' Tank No.1054 - an account of the automatic vacuum brake. 2007 62 14 Bluebell News Arrival on Bluebell Railway of Semi Royal Saloon No.806 on 10/10/2000 2000 10 British Railways Illustrated Chapel-en-le-Frith 1957. Accident 1992 01/02 141 UVC. The Way We Were. Incs photos of LNWR locos 1992 01/04 171 Station Survey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bustling Alexander
    The Bustling Alexander by Les Gilpin Reproduced from “Cumbrian Railways” Vol 4 No 6 October 1989 by kind permission of the author In Cumbrian Railways, Vol 3, No 15, I told the story of John Brogden, his rise in the business world and his place in Cumbrian railway history. His second son, Alexander, also played his part in the county’s industrial and railway history. Alexander Brogden (Alex to the family and friends) was born on 3rd November 1825 in Manchester. After early education with Mr Hoole of Blackburn and at the New College in Manchester, he went on to study at Kings College, London. Here he obtained a first prize in mathematics. He had intended to follow a career at the Bar but, after spending his spare time away from college looking after the books in his father’s London office, he became a partner in the family firm of John Brogden & Sons. The original partners, at its establishment in 1846, were John (the father), John junior, Alexander and Henry (the sons). Alex’s early responsibilities largely involved the supervision of the company’s railway construction contracts. These are known to have included the Altrincham branch of the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham Railway, the Ashton branch of the LNWR and sections of the East Lancashire Railway around Accrington. His move into railway management took place in 1850. In that year John Robinson McClean, the engineer, leased the South Staffordshire Railway. O.P. Neele, who worked on this line, commented in his autobiography “Railway Reminiscences” that soon after the McClean takeover John Brogden, together with two of his sons, appeared at the company offices in Walsall.
    [Show full text]
  • RCHS 2019 AGM Weekend Tour Notes
    RAILWAY & CANAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2019 AGM WEEKEND Abbey House Hotel & Gardens, Abbey Road, Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0PA Programme & Tour Notes Page List of Members & Guests Attending 2 Programme for the Weekend 3 The pre-Railway Communications Challenge 4 The Barrow Story – A Brief History 5 th Friday 26 April – Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Millom & Askam 8 th Saturday 27 April – Ulverston, Ulverston Canal, Roa Island 22 th Sunday 28 April – Haverthwaite, Lakeside, Bowness, Backbarrow, Grange & Kents Bank 38 th Monday 29 April – Arnside, Kent Viaduct, Kendal Branch, Tewitfield, Carnforth 52 Welcome to the 2019 RCHS AGM Weekend organized by the NW Group Committee. These pages of notes are intended to add to your knowledge and/or remind you of the areas we shall be visiting during the four coach tours. Where maps have been included, these are not intended to be replacements for the source maps, but to aid location of sites on shown on OS, Alan Godfrey, and other maps. In producing the notes, a number of publications have proven to be useful - Those we have relied on most are: A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain vol 14, David Joy (David & Charles, 1993) An Introduction to Cumbrian Railways, David Joy (Cumbrian Railways Assoc., 2017) Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology, Michael Quick (Railway & Canal Historical Society, 2009) The Furness Railway, K J Norman (Silver Link, 1994) The Furness Railway: a history, Michael Andrews (Barrai Books, 2012) The Furness Railway in and around Barrow, Michael Andrews (Cumbrian Railways Assoc., 2003) The Railways of Carnforth, Philip Grosse (Barrai Books, 2014) The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas, Col M H Cobb (Ian Allan, 2005) The Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway, Leslie R Gilpin (Cumbrian Railways Assoc., 2008) Maps of the area, both current and historical, include: O.S.
    [Show full text]
  • RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION in MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY NORTH LANCASHIRE: a STUDY BASED on the DIARY of JAMES STELFOX 1855-70 Advent of T
    RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION IN MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY NORTH LANCASHIRE: A STUDY BASED ON THE DIARY OF JAMES STELFOX 1855-70 BY P. J. GOODERSON, B.A., M.A. advent of the railway age, as the mid-nineteenth century J. is so often called, produced a great spate of contemporary comment in many different forms. Poems, novels, diaries, indeed all forms of literary activity, bear witness to the dramatic impact of the railway on the Victorian mind. Most diaries only convey the casual interest of the onlooker; few survive of those actually engaged upon railway construction. James Stelfox, whose diary is the main source of this article, was not an engineer or a navvy, but a company official. He was employed by the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway Company (U.L.R.), first as a farmer and later as an inspector of works, during the construc­ tion of the line from Ulverston to Carnforth between 1853 and 1859. The limitations of the diary as the principal item of source material are not far to seek. It comprises the business jottings of a hard-worked company servant rather than the considered observations of a gentleman of leisure. Thus it does not give a detailed technical account of the railway's progress. Nor does it provide any but the most occasional insight into the minds of the makers of the railway and the reactions of local people, whether beneficiaries or victims. Instead, the diary presents us with an impressionist picture of the company's activities. It is the extent of the coverage which is so informative not the depth of descrip­ tion.
    [Show full text]
  • NEWSLETTER 075 May 2004
    The Newsletter of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society y:";) L \&" r k... No. 75 May 2004 Cover Picture The entrance to Levers Water Mine at Coniston, which CAT first opened in 1985, has become blocked with debris from the sides of the crater above it. The crater, which has formed due to subsidence, continues to grow. CAT has obtained Consent to re- open and protect the entrance to the mine, and work, which began on 8h February, is being camed out by CAT under the supervision of the LDNPA Archaeologist. A lockable gate will be installed inside the adit. The cover picture was taken on 7' March, and shows Mark Scott, assisted by Dave Robson, using a water jet to liquefj the spoil in order to dispose of it by raking it down the Funnel. A report on the work begins on Page 10. Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society Newsletter No 75, May 2004. Contents: Cover Picture Inside front cover News Page 2 NAMHO 2004 Tax Returns Membership AGM of the Newland Furnace Trust Page 2 Press reports Page 4 Dinosaur tracks from the Dawn of Civilisation (Early Tramways) Page 4 CATMHS Library and Archive Page 8 Book review - Alpine Caving Techniques William Bickford Page 8 The last French Coal Pit closes Page 8 South Crofty tin mine to re-open Page 9 Conservation project at Levers Water Mine Ian Matheson Page 10 Meet Reports: A Tour Round the Brigham District Dave Bridge. Page 15 Roanhead Meet, 22ndFebruary Peter Sandbach Page 2 1 Articles: William Gawith' s notebooks, the Ulverston Mining Company and Alexander Brogden Peter Sandbach Page 24 Minutes CATMHS committee meetings held on 12~January 2004 Page 30 Society Officers and Committee members.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geological Curator
    THE GEOLOGICAL CURATOR VOLUME 3 No l APRIL 1981 The purpose of the Group is to improve the status of geology in museums and similar institutions, and to improve the standard of geological curation ingeneral, by: - holding meetings to promote the exchange of information - providing information and advice on all matters relating to geology in museums - the surveillance of collections of geological specimen: and information wit h a view to ensuring their well being - the preparation of a code of practice for the curation and deployment of col lections - the advancement of the documentati on and conservation S of geological sites - initiating and conducting surveys relating to the aims of the Group THE GEOIDGICAL CURATOR SUBMISSION OF MSS Three issues are published each year. The last dates for submission of copy publication are: November 1st. for first issue of following year March 1st. for second issue August let. for third issue Articles should be sent to the editor typed and, if possible, camera ready to the A4 format we use as this may help expedite publication. COLLECTIONS AND INFORMATION LOST AND FOUND. All iteme relating to this section in the Geological Curator should be sent to: Dr. Hugh S. Torrens, Geology Dept., University of Keele, Keele, Staffs. ST5 5BG. Tel. No. 0782-621111 Ext. 493. ADVERTISEMENT CHARGES Full A4 page £25 per issue Half A4 page £14 per issue Discounts for space bought in three or more issues. Further details from Diana Smith, 25 Winstanley Road, Saffron Walden, Eseex. SUBSCRIPTION CHARGES Members subscription f4 per year Institutional Membership E5 per year All enquiries to Treasurer/Memtlerehip Secretary.
    [Show full text]