Caplecleugh High Level Nenthead, Cumbria, OS Ref: NY78694287.
It is
difficult to find a complete history on the Caplecleugh High Level. On London
Lead Company plans it is shown to extend past Baisbeck's Crosscut in the east
and all the way to the Low Level Rise to the Firestone in the west, dates on
plans show that the forehead of Baisbeck's Crosscut was reached in 1863, and to
the west 1843. This can clearly be seen on LLC plans for Caplecleugh and
Longcleugh mines. In the west the level continues to within 400m of the
Longholehead Whimsey. Graffiti dating to 1776 has been found in the eastern
section.
The
extension of the level to the portals that are known today was carried out by
the Vieille Montagne Zinc Company in around 1915, they also drove the level to
Bogg Shaft and used this east end as a spill way for waste water from the Bogg
Shaft compressor installation. The last run to the portals was rendered in
concrete, and many dams along the LLC driven level were built to divert the
water to the portals, rather than having it flow into sumps. The waste water
was diverted to Smallcleugh Dam for reuse in the Brewery Shaft compressor
installation.
Around
500m of open level is accessible from the adits, before a fall in encountered.
The only other known routes of access to Caplecleugh High are via Caplecleugh
Low Horse Level and the hard route via Archers Rise and via the stopes around
Bogg Shaft from Smallcleugh, however this last route only reaches some 150m of
level. Caplecleugh High Level is also known as Hodgson's High
Level.
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Caplecleugh
High Level Surface Features - Views of the landscape and buildings around
the level.
Updated 05/10/07. |
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Caplecleugh
High via Archers Rise - A hard long trip up into the High Level to see the
exploration that Roy Fellows and Ian Hebson carried out in the early 1990's.
(Brian, Karli, Martin, Mike, Paul, Pete, Roy, Sharron, and Steve) 22nd July
2007. |
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Caplecleugh High
Survey from Adits - A trip to survey the level from both adits.
(Mike
and Pete) 5th October 2007. |
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Caplecleugh High
Survey Continuation - Carrying on the survey from October, the really
grotty ground.
(Karl, Mike and Pete) 25th November
2007. |
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