# Box Mine Wiltshire



## Vurley (Dec 3, 2017)

Sad to say Hansons the owners have now closed Box Mines due to vandalism and the continual fuss over idiots in there getting lost. No doubt you have had other posts so a few earlier photos of mine ( pun not intended ).

The Cathedral now ruined by spray paint.





Winch truck.









Removalable crane normally sited near the end of the heading.





Fine dry stone walling in Clifft Works.





Props in central Box.





Conversion by the MOD to extend their secret section but never used. ( Spring Mine ).





Steps up to a former entrance.





Crane Country, Box Mine.


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## Vurley (Dec 3, 2017)

19th Century graffiti.







As ever the third party hosting site I now use is playing up. That is currently Postimage. I did use Photobucket and have 20,000 hosted images which will be wiped out next year as they want £200 a year when it was free. I wont give in to that blackmail so all my photo threads across several forums will be destroyed. I must check if you host your own images other than thumbnails. ( He await a response ). Its sad that I have only just found this forum as I have many derelict buildings images now hosted by Geograph.https://www.geograph.org.uk/ I no longer keep originals I am afraid.
We use this site for planning walks .
Ordnance Survey Maps - National Library of Scotland Derelict buildings are picked up from there.


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## krela (Dec 3, 2017)

We do not host images, it would be very expensive. Every forum on the internet has suffered at the hands of photobucket. 

The original workers scribblings in Box/Brown's/MF are the best bits. You can just imagine them doodling as they eat their lunch. 

A major part of the recent problem has been local people's gardens being invaded by people looking for the entrances. I think between that and the rising number of rescues, Hanson got fed up with all the complaints. Such fuckwittery ruining it for people who do have respect.


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## Vurley (Dec 3, 2017)

Settled down again.













Demonstrating the vertical cut. The top section has been cut with a pick.





Dry stone wall and props. The roof is the underside of a much harder rock than the " Freestone ". Being a horizontal bedding it could easily be supported.





Saw sharpening bench.





Crane and mine debris.





" The Robots " . All now vandalized.





Trimmed stone that never came out.In the ground this is relatively soft and was cut by hand. It had to cure and harden on the surface before use in building.





Miner's tally marks.





Named graffiti.





I spent many years learning all of the routes in Box Mine.It was a magical place 40 years ago but then the idiots with their spray paint and lack of route knowledge began ruining it all.To be honest the place should have had controlled access years ago but so many people think that they have a divine right to go anywhere. Many of our Mendip Caves are locked to conserve the delicate formations.Anyone interested in that sort of thing can look here at my Flickr site.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Rather too many perhaps to view. Anyway I digress. I rather think it's me becoming derelict nowadays.


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## krela (Dec 3, 2017)

First string, then paint, then glowsticks, the evolution of the clueless ways people try and find their way around. 

The robots have been rebuilt at least 4 times that I can think of over the past 25 years (not quite your 40 years).

Growing up on the East side of Bath wasn't a bad thing...


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## Brewtal (Dec 3, 2017)

That is another great post for you, really enjoyed that. Always fancied seeing this one but I’ve got bugger all experience of mines so didn’t want to be another statistic of fuckwittery as krela put it so eloquently. I’m happy seeing other people’s pics haha! Top stuff mate, thanks for sharing.


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 3, 2017)

Great to see virley, I seemed to miss all the good stuff down there!
Not been long back from Browns though, thoroughly enjoyed it down there!


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## King Al (Dec 3, 2017)

Great pics Vurley, always good to see those cranes!


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## oldscrote (Dec 3, 2017)

Moved from Sheppey to Wiltshire and spent many a happy hour down the local stone mines,The picture of the 2 guys facing each other is one of quite a few down there showing men boxing,we never found any similar pictures in any of the other mines.Haven't been down for many a year due to failing health so it's always good to see images from here.I didn't know that the place had been gated ,a real shame but as Krela says it's the curse of fuckwittery.......


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## cogito (Dec 4, 2017)

Good set of images, thanks for sharing!


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## SlimJim (Dec 4, 2017)

Sweet old skool pics!

It's a kick in the bollocks it got sealed. I fancied doing it at some point on my return to the UK. Man, dog and iphone types generally ruin it for everyone in the end. If not them, then entitled caving folk who look down on us explorers. Just look at all the crap with Brown's and the WCMS too - some of which nearly ended in a few people getting a shoeing. I don't think it'll stay sealed forever though. For some reason sealing mines in particular only serves as an even greater incentive for someone to bust them open.


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## prettyvacant71 (Dec 8, 2017)

Sheeeet your an organised bunch Very interesting photographs! 
It must feel rather surreal viewing them old drawings for the first time, do you ever find any new ones, well old ones, you know what I mean...drawings that haven't been recorded before?


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## Vurley (Dec 8, 2017)

Doubtful if any original drawings remain to be found as they were carefully recorded many years ago and all of the mine is surveyed.In saying that some areas remain concealed behind deads so you never know. Later years saw loads of route markings but most now lead to buried entrances so " Out " might not lead out.The current stuff is the horrible spray paint which has spoiled many areas.


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## Explore-With-AZ (Dec 25, 2017)

what a shame my mum lives near box could of done a double visit


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## khurbanx (Mar 16, 2021)

These mines are brilliant , I explored them last year back in October! But a little bired told me who live close by is that they now sealed them up properly


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