1. The History
A number of small ganister mines can be found high up in Wharnecliffe woods, north of Oughtibridge, high above a valley created by the erosion of the River Don, on the outcrops on the western-facing slopes of the River Don. Ganister is a close-grained, quartzose sandstone found in the coal measures of northern England. Consisting of over 90% silica with traces of alumina and lime, it was used in the manufacture of silica bricks, which were typically used to line furnaces in the iron and steel making process.
The mine entrances are located either side of Waterfall Clough, a small but steep stream that flows south-west down the slope of the woods into the River Don. The mines were most likely have been owned by the Oughtibridge Silica Fire Brick company due 0.6km south of the mine, as the crow flies. The company was founded in 1856 before Gannister was widely used, so initially used other refractory materials such as pot clay.
The lofty location of the mine allowed gravity and the tramline to take the ganister down the slope to the Great Central railway line between Manchester and Sheffield. Opened in 1845, this then facilitated the short remaining leg to the works themselves. Dropping the “Oughtibridge” from its name, the works and mines prospered and became of particular strategic influence during the World War II.
In 1947 the works were taken over by Steetley and then in the 1980s the southern half of the former Silica Fire Brick site was redeveloped for housing while the remaining north half was taken over by Intermet Refractory Products Ltd who still occupy the site today.
In terms of our little mines, its hard to determine when they opened and when they closed. However best guesses are that they opened in the 1860s and closed sometime around the finish of World War Two.
The old O/S map shows (1) the location of the first mine, (2) the second mine and (3) the base of the tramway linking the mines with the Great Central Railway:
The Silica Fire Brick Works, pictured in 1910:
An advert from the 1960s for Oughtibridge silica bricks:
2. The Explore
Been trying to find out as much as I about the ganister mines of Sheffield, of recent. It’s long on map searching and research and short on tangible finds. I’ve been using a combination of old maps and the book “The Forgotten Mines of Sheffield” by Ray Battye. It’s an industry that blossomed from the late 1800s to first half of the 1900s before disappearing with little trace. My interest was piqued we I came across the pot clay mine behind the Loxley Valley factories and the reports done by @tarkovsky. Recently have looked around Wharncliffe which has turned up some remnants of this little-documented industry.
This trip out was a kind of revisit, having found info on another potential mine entrance near to where I’d been previously. Unfortunately, the lead proved unfruitful, so I made my way down by the side of Waterfall Clough to the mine I’d previously looked at, However, I’d seen reports of another mine entrance nearby from a previous report, which had apparently been back-filled. After a bit of hunting around I found the stonewall-lined mine approach leading up the hill. After following it a short distance, it culminated in a steep bank face but critically, at the bottom, a small hole. In I squeezed and bingo! I’d found the second mine. It was very muddy, and it was pretty badly flooded so didn’t get much of the way in given I didn’t have my waders. So, one for next time.
3. The Pictures
The aforementioned Waterfall Clough:
And one of the old drainage pipes:
Entrance to the mine I explored last time:
A quick reminder of what it looked like inside:
Outside is this really massive stone with two thick iron rods with screw-threads at the end of them:
On to the second mine. This looks promising:
Onwards up the hill we go:
Here’s what we are after:
In we go!
There’s quite a bit of water:
Is that the coal seam?
Wonder how far it goes back:
And back down again:
Not too sure what this is, looks like some sort of small sluice gate:
Back down the incline where the tramway meets the railway, this looks like some sort of old loading platform:
A number of small ganister mines can be found high up in Wharnecliffe woods, north of Oughtibridge, high above a valley created by the erosion of the River Don, on the outcrops on the western-facing slopes of the River Don. Ganister is a close-grained, quartzose sandstone found in the coal measures of northern England. Consisting of over 90% silica with traces of alumina and lime, it was used in the manufacture of silica bricks, which were typically used to line furnaces in the iron and steel making process.
The mine entrances are located either side of Waterfall Clough, a small but steep stream that flows south-west down the slope of the woods into the River Don. The mines were most likely have been owned by the Oughtibridge Silica Fire Brick company due 0.6km south of the mine, as the crow flies. The company was founded in 1856 before Gannister was widely used, so initially used other refractory materials such as pot clay.
The lofty location of the mine allowed gravity and the tramline to take the ganister down the slope to the Great Central railway line between Manchester and Sheffield. Opened in 1845, this then facilitated the short remaining leg to the works themselves. Dropping the “Oughtibridge” from its name, the works and mines prospered and became of particular strategic influence during the World War II.
In 1947 the works were taken over by Steetley and then in the 1980s the southern half of the former Silica Fire Brick site was redeveloped for housing while the remaining north half was taken over by Intermet Refractory Products Ltd who still occupy the site today.
In terms of our little mines, its hard to determine when they opened and when they closed. However best guesses are that they opened in the 1860s and closed sometime around the finish of World War Two.
The old O/S map shows (1) the location of the first mine, (2) the second mine and (3) the base of the tramway linking the mines with the Great Central Railway:
The Silica Fire Brick Works, pictured in 1910:
An advert from the 1960s for Oughtibridge silica bricks:
2. The Explore
Been trying to find out as much as I about the ganister mines of Sheffield, of recent. It’s long on map searching and research and short on tangible finds. I’ve been using a combination of old maps and the book “The Forgotten Mines of Sheffield” by Ray Battye. It’s an industry that blossomed from the late 1800s to first half of the 1900s before disappearing with little trace. My interest was piqued we I came across the pot clay mine behind the Loxley Valley factories and the reports done by @tarkovsky. Recently have looked around Wharncliffe which has turned up some remnants of this little-documented industry.
This trip out was a kind of revisit, having found info on another potential mine entrance near to where I’d been previously. Unfortunately, the lead proved unfruitful, so I made my way down by the side of Waterfall Clough to the mine I’d previously looked at, However, I’d seen reports of another mine entrance nearby from a previous report, which had apparently been back-filled. After a bit of hunting around I found the stonewall-lined mine approach leading up the hill. After following it a short distance, it culminated in a steep bank face but critically, at the bottom, a small hole. In I squeezed and bingo! I’d found the second mine. It was very muddy, and it was pretty badly flooded so didn’t get much of the way in given I didn’t have my waders. So, one for next time.
3. The Pictures
The aforementioned Waterfall Clough:
And one of the old drainage pipes:
Entrance to the mine I explored last time:
A quick reminder of what it looked like inside:
Outside is this really massive stone with two thick iron rods with screw-threads at the end of them:
On to the second mine. This looks promising:
Onwards up the hill we go:
Here’s what we are after:
In we go!
There’s quite a bit of water:
Is that the coal seam?
Wonder how far it goes back:
And back down again:
Not too sure what this is, looks like some sort of small sluice gate:
Back down the incline where the tramway meets the railway, this looks like some sort of old loading platform:
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