# Carrock Wolframite Mine, Cumbria



## Coal Cutter (Feb 15, 2010)

Another expedition to Cumbria for me and Sausage along with a couple of mine exploring mates (Team Strap-On).

Carrock is an interesting one as its the only mine in the UK apart from one near St. Austell in Cornwall where wolfram was the sole ore mined.
Although it started off in the 1850s, it was worked on and off, and only during periods when the price of tungsten was high.

It was last worked in 1981 so the mine has a mix of 19th century and modern artefacts which make it interesting.
Major mining took place during World War One but it was closed again in 1918. In WW2, it was opened but no ore was produced.
It was reopened in 1977 and worked until 1981 when it was finally shut down.

Anyone interested in this mine should check out a book by Ian Tyler called Carrock and The Mines of Skiddaw and Blencathra. Its an excellent in-depth history with loads of great archive pics and plans of the various veins.

There are three main veins but we only explored the Harding Vein, as Emerson vein has bad air due to a lot of arsenic in there. There are several higher levels with a lovely 150 feet ladderway consisting of ten seperate ladders and landing stages, and it has the most ore hoppers we have even seen. There is at least 48 hoppers in one vein. Also, it is unusual in that the vein follows a fantastic quartz block, which is up to 3 feet in width in places. Never seen anything like this ion any other mine.

Heres a few pics...


This is part of the quartz block which runs the entire length of the level:









Raise No. 2 which is not climbable due to rotten ladders:








Raise No2 again:








Hoppers...these go on forever:








Modern stuff...flexiduct vent ducting:








One of the crawls:








More flexiduct:








Obligatory underground reflection photo:








Raise No.5:








And finally, the famous red door to the powder magazine:








Cheers folks


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## Sabtr (Feb 15, 2010)

It was a very interesting day this one. Once we had found the mine (comedy map reading!) it was stunning. 

The huge quartz vein went on forever both along and up. The odd mix of modern with ancient is strange too - wooden hoppers next to plastic compressed air pipes.

Once again I won't put any pics up on this thread because they are basically the same!

One word of warning if visiting this place .... the climb in is tight and down hill. So tight I had to take my helmet off. Remember - you also have to climb out too. It took me quite a while to do that.


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## Parkus. (Feb 15, 2010)

Good stuff lads 

It took me a while to find Carrock, and even then I couldn't find the adits / entry points.. I've seen and heard that they are just 'holes' a couple of feet across in the ground but never managed to pin-point them.
Shame the surface isn't in as good nick as below.


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## Coal Cutter (Feb 15, 2010)

Parkus. said:


> Good stuff lads
> 
> It took me a while to find Carrock, and even then I couldn't find the adits / entry points.. I've seen and heard that they are just 'holes' a couple of feet across in the ground but never managed to pin-point them.
> Shame the surface isn't in as good nick as below.



Yeah there is not actaully an adit. There is a hole about 14 inches diameter. Somewhere on a massive moor.


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## Locksley (Feb 15, 2010)

I've been wondering what's underneath this place since I had a look around on the surface, thanks for satisfying my curiosity! lol, brill pics


EDIT: wow, my 100th post!


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## Mole Man (Feb 15, 2010)

Great report , this is one place that is on my list of places I must go and see.


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## kevsy21 (Feb 15, 2010)

Good stuff,really like your reports a lot.
would like to see this place.well done


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## wolfism (Feb 16, 2010)

Nice, the vein adds some "visual drama"! Did the ore hoppers originally discharge onto a wagonway?


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## Coal Cutter (Feb 16, 2010)

wolfism said:


> Nice, the vein adds some "visual drama"! Did the ore hoppers originally discharge onto a wagonway?



Yes, there are another two levels abve this one, this being the lowest and the tramway ran through this level.


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## Foxylady (Feb 16, 2010)

Wow, that's great. The quartz vein is amazing! Some lovely stuff down there, and fab pics as always.


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