# Rampgill Mine, Scaleburn Vein



## BigLoada (Sep 6, 2009)

Well it feels like forever since I posted on here but thanks to a back injury, I havent been able to get underground for a while. Had a nice easy trip today to get back into it and took a look at the Scaleburn Vein, a part of Rampgill that I havent seen before.

Rampgill was started by the Greenwich Hospital in 1736 following the Scaleburn Moss Vein but by 1745 the lease was sold to the London Lead Company . By the end of the 19th century the Rampgill Vein had been worked out, but was later reworked by the Vielle Montagne comapny for Zinc ore, up until about 1920. The Scaleburn vein was actually a mine in its own right and used the Rampgill horse level for access, though it is generally just referred to as being a part of Rampgill Mine

First stop was to look at these wonderful steps that were made for the ponies to get to the higher level. There are a couple more sets of stairs higher up too:








These steps led us up to here:







And then on the the horse gin. This would have once been fixed so that the axle was vertical, and the wheel horizontal. Ponies attached to it via a beam, would rotate the wheel which had a rope running round it. This would be used to raise and lower kibbles to remove ore:







And a close up of the gin axle:







Further outbye we found this wonderful stope:







And this amazing flowstone. Check out the size of the archway to see the scale:







And a random shot of Scaleburn drivage with some nice cool water:







Thanks for looking!

Cheers
Dean


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## crickleymal (Sep 7, 2009)

Cracking photos as usual. That looks a fascinating place to explore.


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## krela (Sep 7, 2009)

Good to see you out and about again!


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## BigLoada (Sep 7, 2009)

Thanks guys, and cheers Krela, its great to be out for sure!


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## The_Revolution (Sep 7, 2009)

Some very atmospheric shots there. 

I’m amazed at the effort that must of been put into constructing the brickwork; is this common feature of older mines?


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## BigLoada (Sep 7, 2009)

The_Revolution said:


> Some very atmospheric shots there.
> 
> I’m amazed at the effort that must of been put into constructing the brickwork; is this common feature of older mines?



Thanks Rev, Yes the stonework is pretty much standard for the area. The amazing thing is that its all just locked together, like a drystone wall and it is so dead straight in places. It was just a way of getting rid of the waste rock, instead of hauling it miles out of the mine, and also was a great roof support too.


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## Sabtr (Sep 7, 2009)

Awesome mate. 

Some of the roadways in this mine look beautiful. The mine is very untouched too - long may it stay that way. 

I definately want to see this one - my toes all better now!


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## crickleymal (Sep 7, 2009)

BigLoada said:


> Thanks Rev, Yes the stonework is pretty much standard for the area. The amazing thing is that its all just locked together, like a drystone wall and it is so dead straight in places. It was just a way of getting rid of the waste rock, instead of hauling it miles out of the mine, and also was a great roof support too.




The miners probably didn't get paid for managing waste, only per ton of ore extracted. So they would have used the most economical method of storing the deads. If ithelps to hold up the roof as well then it's a bonus for them.


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## The_Revolution (Sep 7, 2009)

As I know little about mining I was assuming that the materials had been carried down there and they constructed “brickwork,” (you can tell I worked in construction), which thinking about it would have been a huge effort!

I’ve learnt something new today.


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## BigLoada (Sep 7, 2009)

The_Revolution said:


> As I know little about mining I was assuming that the materials had been carried down there and they constructed “brickwork,” (you can tell I worked in construction), which thinking about it would have been a huge effort!
> 
> I’ve learnt something new today.



That did happen in Smallcleugh, where you can see a difference in the tunnels between the grey limestone deads which was waste from the mine, and other bits which are sandstone. They brought the sandstone into the mine from the nearby Flinty Fell quarry.


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## Runner (Sep 7, 2009)

Excellent pics there Loada, really like the brick arches and the horse gin. Would love a crack at some mining stuff, how suitable would it be for a novice?


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## krela (Sep 7, 2009)

Backfilling with deads is a real art, it's impressive to see the skill that goes into it sometimes. 

It's the same in a lot of the bath stone mines around Bath, the workmanship boggles me considering they didn't get paid for doing it.


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## klempner69 (Sep 7, 2009)

Runner said:


> Excellent pics there Loada, really like the brick arches and the horse gin. Would love a crack at some mining stuff, how suitable would it be for a novice?



Runner,I am a novice who has been down a few of the mines around Corsham thanks to Tommo,and all I bought was some overalls and a tesco torch..I use my hard hat from work with a head torch cable-tied to it..hope to get a Lenser torch sometime for when Tommo takes me out again.I love it very much even though the next day I ache all over due to my advancing years.


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## thompski (Sep 7, 2009)

Excellent shots BL, and indeed its good to see you back underground


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## wolfism (Sep 8, 2009)

Well captured mate, and sorry to hear about your back. The horse gin is a fascinating relic ...


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## krela (Sep 8, 2009)

klempner69 said:


> Runner,I am a novice who has been down a few of the mines around Corsham thanks to Tommo,and all I bought was some overalls and a tesco torch..I use my hard hat from work with a head torch cable-tied to it..hope to get a Lenser torch sometime for when Tommo takes me out again.I love it very much even though the next day I ache all over due to my advancing years.



I have to point out that this information is kinda misleading...

Mine exploring is incredibly dangerous, much more so than looking round buildings that are falling down. The mines around Corsham and Bath are an exception to this, they are still pretty dangerous but lack many of the features that make them potential killers. Each type of mine (stone, metal, mineral, coal, slate, etc) carries their own set of dangers which must be taken into account.

Read this for more info: A guide to the dangers of exploring mines.


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## BigLoada (Sep 8, 2009)

krela said:


> Backfilling with deads is a real art, it's impressive to see the skill that goes into it sometimes.
> 
> It's the same in a lot of the bath stone mines around Bath, the workmanship boggles me considering they didn't get paid for doing it.



The whole culture in this area is quite an interesting one when you think of how the working classes were generally treated back in the 19th century.

In Weardale, the lead mioners probably weren't that bad off compared to other areas, especially the coal miners who were treated terribly by the mine owners.

The lead mining companies were often Quakers and actually paid for education and schools and hospitals withing the dales communities and the workers were fairly well looked after for the times. Women were not allowed in the mines, unlilke coal mines, and they werent even allowed on the dressing floors as it was considered improper. 

A lot of the mioners were educated and could read and write too, thanks to the mining companies. Teams of miners would effectively work for themselves, having struck a "bargain" with the agent regarding how much pay per ton they would get, and were basically left to it. There was only one instance recorded, of industrial action up here, and that was becasue the agent wanted to limit the working hours. The miners didnt want to be limited to 8 hours a day, as there was always that hope of hitting a rich lode, so they got a bit upset about that apparently!

Life in the lodging shops was pretty bad, with maybe 50 guys to a shop with 12 beds, but the general opinion is that compared to coal miners and mill workers etc etc, these guys had a much better life.


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## Runner (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies and link Krela and Kempner69,
I worded my question in my original post badly! - I should have asked BigLoada how suitable Scaleburn was for a novice; I can see it reads "how suitable is mine exploration for a novice".

A better question still would have been "which mines/levels are regarded as suitable for an intro to mine exploration?"

I'm keen to have a bash at a mine, I've started by asking daft questions, sorry for the confusion!


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## sheep21 (Sep 8, 2009)

wow, some really good shots in there, looks like a grand explore.


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## BigLoada (Sep 8, 2009)

Runner said:


> Thanks for the replies and link Krela and Kempner69,
> I worded my question in my original post badly! - I should have asked BigLoada how suitable Scaleburn was for a novice; I can see it reads "how suitable is mine exploration for a novice".
> 
> A better question still would have been "which mines/levels are regarded as suitable for an intro to mine exploration?"
> ...



Hi Runner, I dont know what the deal is with mines in your area but you'd be better off checker out the mine exploration forums for more info such as http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/
As for Rampgill/Scaleburn...quite a few nasty crawl;s in there, about 2 feet high which are okay really but dont touch the roof when going through. Pretty solid generally but there are sections of bad shale where it is falling in slabs from the roof. Hard hats, very good headlamp, backup headlamp, kneepads a must, a wetsocks recommended due to the thigh deep water. And if you aint done it before, then someone with you who has. Thats just my personal opinion though.

EDIT: And very important, lots of water to drink.


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## Sabtr (Sep 8, 2009)

Couldn't agree more BigLoada. ^^

Mines? Don't mess - join a group local to you (they won't bite) and take it from there. 

It has taken us many years to get to the level of experience and kit that we have.


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## kernowexpeditionary (Sep 8, 2009)

as always another great report from deep underground!


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## bonecollector (Sep 8, 2009)

Loving the way the light comes through the horse gin, excelent shot.
Just got into exploring mines recently, gonna put this one on the list to do.


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## BigLoada (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for al the nice repies.

Bone Collector, you really should do this one. And the misty light ray effect was caused by deliberately breathing onto the torch beam whilst exposing the photo


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## bonecollector (Sep 8, 2009)

Will do. 
Its a hell of a trek from dorset but will have to be done.
Cheers for the lighting tip aswell.


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## Runner (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks for the advice BigLoada and Sausage,

There's not many underground mines around these parts (there's one in fact), think the nearest group would be towards the peak. I'll heed your advice about going with someone experienced - I've been bugging a guy I know who's into caving to take me into a mine, mines aren't really his thing but hopefully I can persuade him.

Cheers


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