# Hangingshaws Branch, Rampgill Mine.



## Coal Cutter (Mar 20, 2010)

The trouble with mine reports is often mines are so vast, you cannot hope to cover it all in one trip or report. Last year I did a report on the main Rampgill Vein. This time, me Sausage and another friend explored the Hangingshaws Branch of Rampgill. 

Rampgill Lead Mine was started in 1736 by Greenwich Hospital, and was eventually sold onto the famous London Lead Company in the 1740s It was a very high yielding mine but had been mostly worked out by the end of the 19th century.

Then the Vielle Montagne company reworked a lot of it for zinc during the first twenty years of the 20th century.

A lot of the Nenthead mines are connected, and where we took the pics, we were sitting 17 metres directly below Smallcleugh mine.
Hangingshaws was used as a haulage level for the Longcleugh and Middlecleugh veins in Smallcleugh mine.

It was a nice trip, but the water which just hit my belly button area was a bit fresh and muddy. A difficult climb up a shaft was then encountered which then involved a climbing a ladder which was suspended off a seriously frayed bit of nylon rope on side, and a cable tie on the other side

Heres a few snaps:


Sausage at the top of the shaft. Hoping that cable tie will take the strain









Climbing the shaft we ended up in a huge flats, called Prouds Flats. Many interesting things were found here. Heres a nice pack wall:








An ore tub and arch former, backlit by Sausage:








A nice tub chassis and zinc bucket. The zinc probably came from this very mine!








This is a Jackroll. Basically a very simple hand cranked, un-geared winch.








Old vinegar bottle. Probably used to carry water.








Oil can and some other container:








Baking powder tin & rail shoe. 








Another ore tub, this time with the metalwork intact:








A nice wooden floor. This is actually the place where the last shot of bang was fired. The fired deads are still piled up. This was a working floor, made it easy to move barrows etc:








A beautifully preserved dynamite crate, from the Faversham Gun Cotton & Powder company. It was empty:








These two pics give a nice indication of the different periods the mine was worked. The first shot is a label off an old dynamite box. The second shows a wrapper from a later and probably safer explosive:













General view of the end of the flats, Sausage in blinding boilersuit:








Heres a self portrait in the deeper part of the main level:








And finally, the best thing about underground exploration is to chill out, absorb the atmosphere and have a good lunch...








A very enjoyable trip, hope you enjoy the pics 

Dean


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## krela (Mar 20, 2010)

By far the best bit of mine exploring... having lunch in perfect darkness and silence.






Until someone farts.


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## Coal Cutter (Mar 20, 2010)

krela said:


> By far the best bit of mine exploring... having lunch in perfect darkness and silence.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Aye....that'll be Sausage. Indeed, relaxing in the silence and appreciating the depth and darkness is good!


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## Sabtr (Mar 20, 2010)

I keep telling you - I don't fart - I cough backwards.....

I must give a huge thanks to Coal Cutter for this trip. Putting up with my moans and general ill health took a lot of doing!

This trip has to be the best I've done yet. Some serious dunkings in ice cold water followed by such a great collection of artefacts will take a lot of beating.

If those cable ties took my weight then they will take anyone. We do need to fix them at some point though!

Oh! The underground snacks will take on a new meaning next time.


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## Foxylady (Mar 20, 2010)

Sausage said:


> ...such a great collection of artefacts...



D'you know, I really love all the bits and bobs that you've been finding in these old mines...especially in this one. Those explosives labels and the box are really neat.
Excellent stuff, chaps.


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## Winch It In (Mar 20, 2010)

Great report Lads , Awesome pictures, Well done.


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## thompski (Mar 20, 2010)

Excellent, and underground lunches are superb


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## Engineer (Mar 20, 2010)

*Lead Mine.*

Excellent, some nice bits and pieces there, good pics.


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## klempner69 (Mar 21, 2010)

Excellant report and shots particularly the relics..didnt mean you Sausage!!


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## Andymacg (Mar 21, 2010)

yet another fantastic report and set of pictures CC that water looks rather chilly tho


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## Coal Cutter (Mar 21, 2010)

Andymacg said:


> yet another fantastic report and set of pictures CC that water looks rather chilly tho



Cheers for all the feedback folks. The water is fairly cold and for the first 60 seconds when it hits yer groin it makes you hyperventilate. After that its ok as you get too numb to feel it


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## Sabtr (Mar 21, 2010)

Yeah - until I walk backwards towards you and send a tidal wave of iced water at you. 

Me - a relic! Cheeky bu**er!!


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## klempner69 (Mar 21, 2010)

Didnt mean it fella,its me thats the relic here!


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## sheep21 (Mar 22, 2010)

Bloomin gorgeous, absolutely love it. Balls of brass going down there.


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## Black Shuck (Mar 27, 2010)

Nice one Boys, I would probably get stuck down there!!. Was there any cheese at Lunch?


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## Sabtr (Mar 27, 2010)

Black Shuck said:


> Nice one Boys, I would probably get stuck down there!!. Was there any cheese at Lunch?




Shucky I'm 22 stone at the mo and I still got through. 

I had smoked cheese amongst other things in my bait. No trifles this time.....


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