About Mine-Exploring
The purpose of this page is to explain a
little about the unusual interest of the exploration of disused mine
workings. It is intended as an answer to the common question that
I'm asked of "Why on Earth would anyone want to wander around a
disused mine?".
If you're looking for information about this website, and why it's
been built, please see About this Website.
The definition of a Mine Explorer
The Mine-Explorer sits somewhere between the caver and the Industrial Historian, both of which may also be found hanging around old mine workings.
Caving is very much a sport, well known Internationally and highly developed. Cavers often venture into old mines as a change of scene to their usual naturally-formed haunts, as much of the kit and many of the techniques are the same. Mine Explorers are not cavers however, as is often assumed. I consider myself a Mine Explorer but have never caved in my life.
The Industrial Historian takes a keen interest, be it professionally or recreationally, in Britain's industrial past. He or she will often visit old mines, to study the workings of the bygone miner and remaining artefacts, to learn of the ways that once were, and to better their (and our) understanding of our heritage.
The Mine-Explorer is a cross-breed of the two who explores old workings not only for the fun, challenge and adventure, but also for the fascination of how these underground labyrinths were created and the men, women and children whose lives revolved from beginning to end working the reluctant rock in such pitiful conditions.
Britain's Mining History in a Nutshell
Mining of all kinds was once a cornerstone of the British Industrial Revolution, with coal, slate, copper, iron, lead, gold, silver and many more being extracted from the ground in enormous quantities all over the country. Britain's minerals have been mined for thousands of years, indeed many prehistoric and roman tunnels still remain. It is with our Industrialisation however that we see a tremendous growth in British mining, from the 1700's, through the 1800's to the earlier part of the 1900's. The thousands of mines in operation, many of them truly vast, gave employment to countless workers producing raw materials that would be sold around the world.
The changing economic climate, demand, education, regulation and competition from overseas has now brought our once colossal mining industry to its knees, with only a tiny fraction of the mines working today that were a hundred years ago. Much of what was is all but forgotten, maybe because most of the remnants are beneath our feet. It is hard to imagine today how significant our mining industry was not so long ago, and as a society we can be quick to forget. Today, a working mine is something of a novelty.
The
Extent of our Underground Kingdom
The extent of Britain's man-made underground would come as a surprise to the layman. The total length of all the disused mine tunnels sprawling under the ground has never been measured but would easily fall into the thousands of miles (sometimes over 100 miles of track in one mine alone). These workings range from just below the surface to a great depth (1.1km below the ground are the deepest in the U.K.), sometimes even leaving the mainland and going miles out under the sea. The tunnels run through our mountains, and under our cities. The tunnels connect the cavernous stopes and cathedral sized chambers from which the minerals were extracted, the methods of working in accordance to the mineral in question, the region, and the age of the mine.
So What's Left Today?
Of all the countless mines that once were, comparatively few remain available for exploration. The primary reasons for not being able to explore any given mine are as follows:
- Flooding: All mines required pumps in their day to keep
water out, with the exception of those having the luxury of being
self-draining via deep drainage adits. With the pumps turned off,
the mines slowly filled with water. Almost all disused mines in
the UK are flooded either completely (I.E. no access at all) or
partially, with the mine flooded up to the level of the lowest
adit (hence leaving the workings above this level free of water).
- Redevelopment: The sites of old mines are frequently
taken over by the Forestry Commission, National Trust or private
land developers and unfortunately the general practice seems to be
to bulldoze all the adits and cap all the shafts, effectively
sealing the mine off. Many mines and their historical significance
have been lost forever due to needlessly destructive behaviour.
- Collapse: As workings age, the roofs of passageways and
chambers can fail. In doing so, the collapsed area itself is of
course no longer accessible, but it will also cut off any workings
beyond that point where there remains no other way around. There are
many mines that have suffered a small collapse right at the
entrance (often the most vulnerable part) sealing off large mining
complexes beyond.
- Disallowed Access: Legal access to explore mines is a
chapter on it's own (and not one I dare to write), but it is
sufficient to say here that just because a mine exists and is
physically explorable doesn't mean you'll be allowed anywhere near
it. All mines, no matter how old, are owned by somebody, and their
attitude towards people exploring their private property varies.
- Technical Limitations: Some mines are easy 'walkabouts', while others require immense effort, skill and equipment to explore. The party you're with may simply not have the kit or skills to explore mines above a certain level of difficultly. There is no notion of a grading-system as there is with rock climbing, although I'm sure some clubs will have developed their own.
Despite all this, there still remain quite a number of mines all over the UK that can be easily explored.
Why
Explore Old Mines?
"Because It's There", goes the old mountaineering saying, and it applies to mine-exploring too. All sports or hobbies are the same: They appeal to a certain group of people while everyone else wonders what they see in it. So long as there are mines to explore, there are those who will commit time and effort to explore them.
It is highly rewarding to walk into an old mine, and spend the day wandering along it's tunnels, looking up into vast chambers, boating across it's lakes, and sitting in it's underground buildings. Sometimes, old cranes are encountered, or the odd mine wagon sitting parked on the track. Some mines still have locomotives inside or waterwheels, pumps, and drilling equipment. Sometimes an impressive timber bridge will be found, spanning some unfathomable depth. Occasionally, you may cross paths with another exploring party, and exchange route information over a flask of tea. But mine-exploring is not for everyone.
Do You Fancy Trying It?
If this website, or any other website inspires you to try
exploring an old mine, please don't just head for a hole with a
torch, hoping to rely on natural instinct for protection. If you're
the outdoorsy type, and have wandered through the hills or
countryside, you may have encountered a mine or two on the way and
remember where they are. Temping as it may be to start with these,
you must start by getting in touch with an experienced mine-explorer
or group for guidance. Like most sports, such as rock climbing,
scuba-diving or paragliding, the way to start is not by reading a
website on it, buying some kit and giving it a go, but by meeting
others already experienced and learning it properly. Hopefully this
website will provide some contacts, or look up a local caving club
that covers mine exploring.