dweeb
May 2nd, 2007, 18:41
Draycott Cross was originally a railway tunell, which was abandoned and taken on as a colliery, with various shafts sunk of the side of the original tunnell. I had walked through the tunnell once, but longed to venture through the tiny holes in the wall down the shafts. The tunnels were proper colliery, with iron ribs bracing corrogated iron sheets. We made it down so far before the entire shaft was flooded to it's roof.
We ventured down three coal shafts, two of which still had iron coal tubs at the top still full of the last load of coal! The other shaft goes up, origianlly the shaft for the emergency winder. We made it so far before OT nearly caused the roof to collapse by putting his weight on the wrong thing:eek:
After so fat there is a iron wall blocking off further access. You can squeeze past it but the condition of the tunnell is terrible, with ripples and breaks in the brickwork. At the end a huge rock fall has blocked the tunnell off forever. Huge boulders still hang from the roof ready to drop!
A top night, not many people can say they have seen what we did last night...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(11).JPG
Tub, still full of the last load of coal...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(12).JPG
Junction from the original railway tunnell to the coal shaft
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(10).JPG
Sadly the shafts are flooded half way down, with crystal clear water. The rails just disappear into darkness...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(9).JPG
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(20).JPG
This shaft goes up, I think it was the shaft for the emergency winder. The whole shaft is lined with wooden pit props and iron sheets, but many have peeled from the roof...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(15).JPG
The basket on the end of the winder. Note the wooden pit prop to the right.
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(16).JPG
The condition of the mine was all down hill from the 'no road' sign
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(13).JPG
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(14).JPG
The ground level rose as we walked over the spoil from the other shafts. At the end the brick tunnell was in terrible condition, and had been braced with iron ribs. The weight of the bricks coming down had bent some of the iron:eek: At the end the tunnell had given way and had filled the tunnell with huge boulders!
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(19).JPG
The rocks from the fall...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(18).JPG
And what the pressure has done to 6 courses of bricks!! We felt it best to get out of this part when we saw that!
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(17).JPG
And, my donkey jacket's first time underground in nearly 20 years....
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(21).JPG
We ventured down three coal shafts, two of which still had iron coal tubs at the top still full of the last load of coal! The other shaft goes up, origianlly the shaft for the emergency winder. We made it so far before OT nearly caused the roof to collapse by putting his weight on the wrong thing:eek:
After so fat there is a iron wall blocking off further access. You can squeeze past it but the condition of the tunnell is terrible, with ripples and breaks in the brickwork. At the end a huge rock fall has blocked the tunnell off forever. Huge boulders still hang from the roof ready to drop!
A top night, not many people can say they have seen what we did last night...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(11).JPG
Tub, still full of the last load of coal...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(12).JPG
Junction from the original railway tunnell to the coal shaft
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(10).JPG
Sadly the shafts are flooded half way down, with crystal clear water. The rails just disappear into darkness...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(9).JPG
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(20).JPG
This shaft goes up, I think it was the shaft for the emergency winder. The whole shaft is lined with wooden pit props and iron sheets, but many have peeled from the roof...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(15).JPG
The basket on the end of the winder. Note the wooden pit prop to the right.
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(16).JPG
The condition of the mine was all down hill from the 'no road' sign
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(13).JPG
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(14).JPG
The ground level rose as we walked over the spoil from the other shafts. At the end the brick tunnell was in terrible condition, and had been braced with iron ribs. The weight of the bricks coming down had bent some of the iron:eek: At the end the tunnell had given way and had filled the tunnell with huge boulders!
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(19).JPG
The rocks from the fall...
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(18).JPG
And what the pressure has done to 6 courses of bricks!! We felt it best to get out of this part when we saw that!
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(17).JPG
And, my donkey jacket's first time underground in nearly 20 years....
http://lightingthedarkness.co.uk/pictures/28%20days/Staff%20collieries%20(21).JPG