Bixslade is a valley running up from Cannop Ponds towards Coleford. There's quite a lot to see up there including tramroad remnants, old mines and quarries (some active, some not).
The tramroad near the top of the valley
Mushets High Level coal mine. Mushet was a great iron master in the Forest and owned a number of mines (both coal and iron). I believe the two in Bixslade were opened in the 1820s.
Unknown shaft next to the High Level
This shaft connects to Miles Water Level which emerges behind Cannop Stone Works. The level was reputed to have been dug by children as it's very small. Some friends of mine were going to abseil down this shaft about 20 years ago. They lowered a Tilley lamp down on a piece of rope and it was extinguished about 6 foot down the shaft by bad air. This means the bad air is acually level with the path as the shaft entrance is up a bank. Anyone abseiling down would almost certainly have been killed.
Mushets Low Level
The monument to the biggest mining disaster in the Forest.
Monumnet Mine. An active free mine
A three hole tram road block. The original tramways had the rails secured by a nail driven into a lead or wooden plug in a hole in a block of stone. The nails bridged two rails and weren't very secure. So later they developed rail chairs and used two holes in the blocks of stone. So if you see a single holed tram stone it's quite old. If you see two holed stones they're newer. If you see a three holed stone it's an original stone that has been reused at a later date.
The tramroad near the top of the valley
Mushets High Level coal mine. Mushet was a great iron master in the Forest and owned a number of mines (both coal and iron). I believe the two in Bixslade were opened in the 1820s.
Unknown shaft next to the High Level
This shaft connects to Miles Water Level which emerges behind Cannop Stone Works. The level was reputed to have been dug by children as it's very small. Some friends of mine were going to abseil down this shaft about 20 years ago. They lowered a Tilley lamp down on a piece of rope and it was extinguished about 6 foot down the shaft by bad air. This means the bad air is acually level with the path as the shaft entrance is up a bank. Anyone abseiling down would almost certainly have been killed.
Mushets Low Level
The monument to the biggest mining disaster in the Forest.
Monumnet Mine. An active free mine
A three hole tram road block. The original tramways had the rails secured by a nail driven into a lead or wooden plug in a hole in a block of stone. The nails bridged two rails and weren't very secure. So later they developed rail chairs and used two holes in the blocks of stone. So if you see a single holed tram stone it's quite old. If you see two holed stones they're newer. If you see a three holed stone it's an original stone that has been reused at a later date.
