Click on the thumbnails for a
full picture and description.
AT LAST! After years of looking down it, reading about it, seeing
other sites on it, we have made it down. During the summer I sold some plans to
a mine explorer that belongs to the Wirksworth Mines Research Group and he
informed me that they will be doing this winch trip at the end of the year and
that our group could come along, so this is how it came about, our thanks to
you Peter. The day before the trip I came up to the shaft top to photograph the
shaft and winch gear saving time on the next day. It was an excellent
opportunity with the top hatch open for an unobstructed view down
it.      
On Sunday morning at about 11:15 we descended the shaft, this was
relatively straight forward, with a little bit of spin, but if you kept your
feet out and spread apart then you could control that easily. When you landed,
it was not actually at the shaft bottom, but rather on a pile of debris some 3m
deep, this was the accumulation of rocks and rubbish that has been thrown down
over the years along with shaft fittings and the wooden stagings which have
fallen down from the shaft itself. Climbing down to the actual bottom the first
thing we saw was the massive air receiver tank which was over 4m high. The tank
was situated just to the side of the shaft bottom in a chamber whose roof was
arched with concrete. Marks of the shuttering to cast the concrete where
clearly visible. The tank also had a glass level gauge which was surprisingly
intact.
Past the air receiver we headed out into a widening passage. On
the right there was a back filled passage with some empty concrete machine beds
- what was on these we have no idea, further on a left turn took you into the
compressor room and workshop. Here is where everyone started to cooh at the
amazing relics - it was like children in a sweet shop - everyone really needs
to get out more. We took numerous photographs and examined many artifacts
pondering how it all was brought down here and assembled. It's easy to dismiss
all the machinery as simple technology when compared to todays advances, but
you must remember that this was state of art 100 years ago - foundations to
modern principles. From the compressor room and workshop we headed out the way
we came in and turned left back into the passage, towards the end were it meets
the Rampgill Deep Level is the twin pelton electricity generator. One of the
peltons is exposed and still turns. The generators control wheels still turn
and operate as if new - probably due to the bronze bearings in
them.
      
      
   
From the generator we took a right heading
southwest towards the water wheel and the Nent Force Level. The passage was
lined with a concrete channel and was approximately 60m long. In the channel
there were a number of slots for sluice boards to control the water flow. Past
the channel we entered the chamber which contained the large 4.3m diameter
water wheel. There was a lot of debris on the floor including iron cog wheels,
general timber, a balance bob beam, pulleys and chains. The water wheel was
used to pump water from the workings below, access was gained to these by the
choked shaft on the far side of the wheel. Past the wheel heading north,
northwest is the beginning of the Nent Force Level marked by two ore truck tubs
- one interesting thing to note is that the current water level is a lot higher
than in a picture taken by NORPEX in 1982, around the 0.6m mark higher. With
Karli, I continued down the level for around 10m discovering that the level had
raised rail tracks and that the water was not getting deeper as you went on, it
was the roof getting lower. We presume the raised tracks where to allow water
drainage underneath. We returned to the wheel to meet up with Karl, and headed
back to the compressor room to have lunch. At this point we also took the
opportunity to take some photographs of the shaft bottom and air
receiver.      
Now it was time to see how far the Rampgill Deep Level was open
for, it was also going to be interesting as there had been rumors that someone
had been digging down here (a very keen endeavor if true). Before we set of,
members of the WMRG informed us that they had encountered bad air, and that
they had been as far as a rise at which point their Davy lamp had gone out. At
the generator we turned left bearing northeast, for some 200m along the
Scaleburn North Vein, on this stretch of passage we saw ore truck wheels, and
the body of a ore truck. We also came across Jim and Michael on their way back
to the surface. After the 200m we came to a partial collapse, which was the
junction with Carr's Vein, with only one way to go we turned right bearing
south east. From here we continued on for 120m until reaching a crossroads,
this was where the Davy lamp had gone out, however the air did not seem bad. To
the right was the rise and to the left the passage ended after a few metres.
Heading past the junction the passage beared left in an northeast, east
direction following the Rampgill Vein. There should have been a level going
straight on here, but we could find no sign of it - maybe it was blocked or
walled up or it may have been a continuation via the rise we
passed.
Whilst on the Rampgill Vein Karli and Karl where starting to
question the air, but to me it was fine with no effects of tiredness or tight
chest. So we carried on until our progress was brought to a halt by a black
calcified collapse. The collapse itself looked like it may have been a rise. At
this point Karli decided to get his lighter out, it would not light, then his
MOD matches came out and just smouldered, yes the oxygen content of the air was
rather low. We took some quick photographs and returned. Maybe 50m or so into
the journey back we met some of the WMRG team and informed them of what we had
found, they decided to have a quick look and we met them again at the rise
junction. In the Rampgill Vein section of the level it was difficult to judge
how far we went but I think it was in the region of 150m bringing us into the
Fairhill Cross Vein area (however speaking to Jim he thought it was more like
300m, just 60m short of the Patterdale Cross Vein). Apart from the odd collapse
the level was in very good condition and there were a few small artifacts, but
not as many as we had expected. The compressed air piping was in good condition
and was present with us for most of the accessible passage.       
    
After returning back to the compressor room Karl returned to the
surface, myself and Karli stayed down to try the Nent Force Level again with
the remaining members of WMRG. We reached a point in the Nent Force Level where
the air space was around 15cm, and after this we probably went on a further 30m
or so - there was no sign of the air space changing for better or worse, but
for me it was too much - I got rather cold as my neck was exposed and water up
the nose was the final straw. One interesting point to note was that the day
before the air here was gassy, but today it had been fresh - there must be a
flow meaning that potentially there still is a link with the bottom of Wellgill
shaft (next shaft in the level after Brewery) however small - could this be
dug? We returned to the compressor room yet again and took a final group
photograph before all returning to the surface.
To put it simply, the
trip was excellent and the atmosphere with everyone present was really good. We
also had the chance to meet a number of people that we have had contact with
via email but never face to face and that was good too. There was no sign of
the rumored dig, was the rumor false or could it have been somewhere else like
the rise on Carr's Vein or even along the Nent Force Level? A big thank you to
the Wirksworth Mines Research Group team for allowing us to make use of their
winch.     |
