# Browns Folly Mine May 2011



## FLEXX (May 14, 2011)

Visited here last night (friday 13th) with Dazza and a few of the darkplaces crew one of which bought a blow up boat so a shot of me in the well had to be done, entered via muddy hole and spent a few hours down there taking photos. We have been many times before but decided to go for a photo session this time. I'm sure most of you know the history of browns but here it is anyway

Browns Folly Mine is an SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest) because of its national importance for hibernating and roosting bats.

Brown's Folly is a tower situated near Bathford overlooking Bath. Beneath the folly in the nature reserve are the entrances to part of Brown's Folly Quarry. This stone mine is fairly big but not too complicated.

The southern section consists of several long main routes, the waste stone is stacked up along the sides of the passages. There are few roof falls in this mine, probably due to good strong pillars at regular intervals.

The main adit into the quarry was blasted by the military probably to prevent access to the Monkton Farleigh Ammunition Depot connected to Brown's Folly.

In the Southern section there exists some stables amongst other interesting features. Further into the hillside there is an area known as Clapham Junction, so called because of the rails laid in the floor. This was the junction of several routes into the different headings of the mine. The existence of rails means that this was a relatively recent and large mine.

A Second World War ammo dump, the valley was originally the entrance to Browns Folly Mine which was collapsed by the War Department.


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## King Al (May 15, 2011)

Pics look great FLEXX! some great features down there


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## Snips86x (May 15, 2011)

Fantastic images. I've been planning on visiting this place as I'm only down the road, but I've never had the time to hunt this place out. Looks pretty cool down there. How far did you get down the mine? Was much of it blocked up?


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## oldscrote (May 15, 2011)

Nice pictures mate.I hope you put the ladder back across the stone tank when you'd finished your trip round the bay.


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## FLEXX (May 15, 2011)

anpanman said:


> How far did you get down the mine? Was much of it blocked up?



most of it is still open as far as im aware there are some falls in some places but easy enough to climb over did cover a lot this time and other parts we have previously covered so you best get down there and explore 




oldscrote said:


> I hope you put the ladder back across the stone tank when you'd finished your trip round the bay.



yep certainly did left it as we found it


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## hamishsfriend (May 15, 2011)

Looks like a fascinating place, great pictures, thanks.


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## waley_bean (May 20, 2011)

Gosh you're very brave going down there!  Love the pics.


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## night crawler (May 20, 2011)

Lot of trouble to get a photo taken in a boat. Good explore that and do like the well, so clean.


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## Scaramanger (May 20, 2011)

Looks like there's some bits we missed down there. Need to go back..... Nice long exposures


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## tommo (May 20, 2011)

ha ha u did the shitty tunnel just coming off pit prop chamber, brave man we did this a couple of times in the past and each time it gets worse,


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## oldscrote (May 21, 2011)

tommo said:


> ha ha u did the shitty tunnel just coming off pit prop chamber, brave man we did this a couple of times in the past and each time it gets worse,



I remember the prop passage well we used to challenge newbies to get to the end and back in 5minutes and let us know what was down the other end.The prop chamber was actually converted to an air raid shelter for surface workers in the ammo dump the passage being one of the original entrances to the mine.If you look carefully on the walls there's a carving of Hitler and the words private s Wilde S.L.I. which is the Somerset Light Infantry.To find the outside of this go into the woods to the left of Main West building and about 30feet from the road you will find a fairly deep gully the entrance was at the end.


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