Christmas day, get me out of here! So off i went to take the dog for a walk, that was my excuse! Meaning to check this area for a while, i grabbed the dog, wellies, waterproofs, a bit of kit and off i went into the rainy, windy Lincolnshire wolds.
The landscape of the Lincolnshire Wolds has been shaped a great deal from industry. The obvious is farming but the not so obvious is ironstone mining.
It is hard to believe when looking out over the tranquil landscape of Nettleton and Claxby that it was once a very different scene, a noisy and bleak setting where up to 150 people worked to mine the ironstone of the land.
Underground ironstone mining was part of the life of Claxby Parish from 1868 to 1885. This was followed by the first cut of the Nettleton mines in 1928 which remained open up until 1968. Mining provided employment for the people who lived in the area, along with financial support and social opportunities for miners and their families. Many houses you see in the area are linked to the mining industry.
All entrances were well filled/sealed, accept one. I was lucky to find entry into one tunnel and walked for about five minutes heading deep down into the hillside, till i came to a solid wall of ready ready-mix concrete. Looks like tons of the stuff had been poured down from above, luckily one man and his big chisel had smashed a tiny hole through. Got through that, the tunnel was looking endless again! Unprepared, torch batteries dimming, no-one knowing where i was and with the rain lashing down outside that may cause flooding and collapse, i made my way back out.
Ive never seen photos from within the mine, would i have made it in if i kept going? I dont scare easily, but i wanted out!
Not a great vid, but explains a few things in the report,
There is a lot more external stuff to see round this area, if this type of stuff interest you its worth popping by, nice for a long walk in the wolds if nothing else
The landscape of the Lincolnshire Wolds has been shaped a great deal from industry. The obvious is farming but the not so obvious is ironstone mining.
It is hard to believe when looking out over the tranquil landscape of Nettleton and Claxby that it was once a very different scene, a noisy and bleak setting where up to 150 people worked to mine the ironstone of the land.
Underground ironstone mining was part of the life of Claxby Parish from 1868 to 1885. This was followed by the first cut of the Nettleton mines in 1928 which remained open up until 1968. Mining provided employment for the people who lived in the area, along with financial support and social opportunities for miners and their families. Many houses you see in the area are linked to the mining industry.
All entrances were well filled/sealed, accept one. I was lucky to find entry into one tunnel and walked for about five minutes heading deep down into the hillside, till i came to a solid wall of ready ready-mix concrete. Looks like tons of the stuff had been poured down from above, luckily one man and his big chisel had smashed a tiny hole through. Got through that, the tunnel was looking endless again! Unprepared, torch batteries dimming, no-one knowing where i was and with the rain lashing down outside that may cause flooding and collapse, i made my way back out.
Ive never seen photos from within the mine, would i have made it in if i kept going? I dont scare easily, but i wanted out!
Not a great vid, but explains a few things in the report,
There is a lot more external stuff to see round this area, if this type of stuff interest you its worth popping by, nice for a long walk in the wolds if nothing else
