# Browns Folly Mine - Jan 2011



## nelly (Jan 17, 2012)

Now, a couple of years ago, if I had gone out for a mates Birthday then I probably would have ended up down the pub with a kebab to follow and a taxi home.

Then I discovered Urban Exploration and a whole new bunch of mates.

So it was off to Browns Folly for a weekend of fun for Obscurity's Birthday!!!

Those in attendance were..........

Me!!!, Skeleton Key, Wevsky, Space Invader, Obs, Mrs Obs, Maniac, Frosty, OliverGT,
Toad, VW DirtBoy, Elvis, Raptor Jesus, Trog, Mrs Trog, Tommo, Emerson & Northern Ninja







I was like a fish out of water underground and massive respect for my buddies for everything

As Del Boy would say "It's Terra Cotta for me from now on Rodney."

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*The History Bit*

Browns Folly Mine is a Bath Stone quarry which was originally part of Monkton Farleigh Mine however when the War Department converted part of the quarry in to an ammunitions store they separated part of the quarry which is the area now known as Browns Folly.





This photograph shows the quarrymen and their tools. In the front are the sawyers with their Frig Bobs. In the backrow note: - In the middle, two of the men are holding lamps mounted on holders. These holders, like long handled bats could be put into a hole in a pillar or in the harness to give the horse some light. The man middle right is holding a holing iron, which is used to chisel out the hole for the Lewis, just below. The Gaffer or Ganger is wearing the bowler.

Closed in the 1930's, Browns Folly Mine is an SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest) because of its national importance for hibernating and roosting bats.






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.





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*Clapham Junction*








































*Quack!!!*










The troughs, I believe that these were for the horses that would pull the carriages full of stone along the track




















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## UrbanX (Jan 17, 2012)

What an epic birthday! 
Fantastic report mate from the history to the pics, how you lit some of them I'll never know! 
Ah...the ladder of sensibility


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## mersonwhoopie (Jan 17, 2012)

Great photos!! Another on the list of places to visit!


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## TeeJF (Jan 17, 2012)

Nice one Nelly! Looks great!!!


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## flyboys90 (Jan 17, 2012)

Cracking report and photos.


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## klempner69 (Jan 17, 2012)

Lovely warm lighting Nelly..congrats for doing this...we have a few more for you to tick off!


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## tank2020 (Jan 17, 2012)

Very Jealous! Nice Pics


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## species8472 (Jan 18, 2012)

Reminds me of birkhill claymine, with the blocked off shafts to aid getting out in the dark.


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## Em_Ux (Jan 18, 2012)

This is brilliant!

Love the duck


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## fluffy5518 (Jan 18, 2012)

Yet another cracker Nelly old boy !! I can see that youre getting into this underground lark !! Looks like you had a good time. I had heard that a lot of the track had been pikied away but it dosen't look that differant to when i last visited a couple of years back. Is there any track missing or other damage ?


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## smiler (Jan 18, 2012)

Seems a sensible way to celebrate a birthday, I enjoyed looking, Thanks.


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## nelly (Jan 18, 2012)

fluffy5518 said:


> Yet another cracker Nelly old boy !! I can see that youre getting into this underground lark !! Looks like you had a good time. I had heard that a lot of the track had been pikied away but it dosen't look that differant to when i last visited a couple of years back. Is there any track missing or other damage ?



Yep a fir bit of track missing mate, they have actually altered the Muddy Hole entrance to stop them getting long lengths of track out (As I discovered when I couldn't get my lardy arse through it!)


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## tommo (Jan 19, 2012)

UrbanX said:


> Fantastic report mate from the history to the pics, how you lit some of them I'll never know!



yeah come on nelly how did u light them up to make them so nice and warm  lol


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## nelly (Jan 19, 2012)

tommo said:


> yeah come on nelly how did u light them up to make them so nice and warm  lol



Lol, hi ya mate, a rare appearance eh?

My good (I hope) friend Tommo, not only guided me through the mine after I had been lost for and hour and a half (He came down that tunnel with a dozen bobbing head lights behind him), but he also gave me a guided tour and showed me some pukka tips on underground photography.

The ones with the red glow, we're lit with hidden garden candles and Tommo's Lenser.

Respect


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## tommo (Jan 19, 2012)

*ha ha yeah been some time, u know the details fella 

couple of pics from me, good to catch up with old and new friends *


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## nelly (Jan 20, 2012)

Sweet, I need to get a wide angle!!!

But it's

£££££'s Ching!!!! Aaaaaggghhhh!!!


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## mersonwhoopie (Jan 20, 2012)

Whenever I see reports on places like this, it makes me think of the film 'Evolution'


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## oldscrote (Jan 20, 2012)

That last picture of yours Tommo is interesting with both loads of sooty lamp marks on the walls and original miners graffiti on the ceiling


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## nelly (Jan 20, 2012)

oldscrote said:


> That last picture of yours Tommo is interesting with both loads of sooty lamp marks on the walls and original miners graffiti on the ceiling



Do you think it was the original miners graffiti Scote, I just assumed that it was modern day cigarette lighter stuff (the sort you see in phone box ceilings etc)

But then who am I to assume, you know the history of this place better than me!!!


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## skeleton key (Jan 21, 2012)

Love it Nelly got some great shots mate and great bit of historical .
What a weekend mate was a blast. 
tommo was great to meet up again mate ,Big thumbs up
You have no idea how glad i was when i took that map from you and buggared off on my own 
Or id still be down there now lol

SK


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## oldscrote (Jan 21, 2012)

nelly said:


> Do you think it was the original miners graffiti Scote, I just assumed that it was modern day cigarette lighter stuff (the sort you see in phone box ceilings etc)
> 
> But then who am I to assume, you know the history of this place better than me!!!



Oh yes that is original miners stuff on the ceiling,done with the smoky oil lamps they used probably when they were first cutting the heading as that would have been the only time the roof would have been easily reachable{see the 2nd of your historical photos}


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## nelly (Jan 21, 2012)

oldscrote said:


> Oh yes that is original miners stuff on the ceiling,done with the smoky oil lamps they used probably when they were first cutting the heading as that would have been the only time the roof would have been easily reachable{see the 2nd of your historical photos}



Cheers Scrote, and thanks for all the links and info on this


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## kevsy21 (Jan 21, 2012)

Good stuff,thats some meet up.


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