Via Gellia Mines and soughs, Middleton, Derbyshire, September 2023

[HughieD]

Via Gellia Mines and Soughs, Via Gellia, Middleton
On the steep sloped of Via Gellia, a number of old lead mines and their soughs (drainage adits) can be found. A number of features associated with 18th century lead extraction can be found including shafts, whinzes (internal shafts), coes, stopes, coffin levels and stone-lines buddles. Over the past couple of years we’ve made a number of visits to these mines. Here are three that are small and not worthy of a report in their own right so grouping them together here.

1. Bonsall Ley’s Level:
Not too much to say here really. Located just next to Via Gellia (A5102) on the north-side before you come to the Tuffa Cottage and almost straight down the hill from Slayley Sough (report HERE). It’s pretty wet and only goes in 46m so most likely was a trial drive. It runs straight into the hillside. There is a small waterfall on the right-hand-side before the level ends in a forefield which has some pick marks and miner’s inscriptions.

The entrance:



Looking back out:





With some interesting natural features:


Only a short sough,



And a wet one at that:



2. Spencer’s Level
This is a small trial to the right of Good Luck Mine and down the hill a little bit. It didn’t reach the vein and it only goes in for about 25m. The first half of it has some really nice stonework before it gets into a rough rock-cut section. Not too much to see and a challenge to find, but the stonework makes it worth seeking out.

Somewhere up there are the two adits we are after!



Good job we had an accurate pin, as looking for this is a bit of a needle in a haystack scenario:



The stonework in the first section is a thing of beauty:





But soon gives way to the rough rock-cut section:



And a dead end:



Time to come back out:





And back out again:



3. Henstock's Level
Like Spencer’s Level, at this time of year Henstock's Level is hard to reach through heavy undergrowth. Additionally, the entrance is hard to actually locate. However, we found a spoil tip which gave us a better idea of where you’d expect the entrance would be. Once found and an initial squeeze we were in. The drive doglegs to the left and opens up to standing height and runs for about 125m. It was an interesting little mine and we easily spent 30-40 minutes in here. In places there appears to have been small-scale stoping. Then the main drive continues before coming to a dead end. Before that, to the right a passage peels off and also comes to a dead end after a similar distance to the other main branch.

On the way up we pass the fantastic Goodluck mine that is managed by a group of mining enthusiasts. It’s open to the publish the first Sunday of every month – highly recommended.



Tramway to the main tip:





And the other way to the mine entrance:







Having got to where our pin was indicating, we come across this waste tip which means we are nearby:



Ah ha!



This is what we were after!



We get kitted up and soon we’re in:







Along we go:





To be continued....

 

[HughieD]

CONTINUED:

Initially it is a bit wet:





Looking up at the stoping:





Past the right turn:



And on we push:





Some serious deads stacking:



Nice mineralisation:







This is my favourite bit:



Some rather precariously stack-up deads:



An old newspaper:



Before we reach a dead end:



Time to turn round:



Back to the right turn:



Past a mini-collapse:



One of several shot holes:



And another dead end:



On the roof here miners have burnt a message into the roof:



And some mineralization:



And back out we go:









And out:



That’s all folks!

 

[night crawler]

I have to admire you guys fro going in there, no way could I do that now

 

[BikinGlynn]

Nice set of pics that

 

[Priority 7]

I have just developed a nasty case of clostrophobia looking at those photos :-D Nice photos fella