Alderley Edge Mines – Wood Mine to Hough Level through
trip
Andy Hall, Steve Gray,
Pete & Julie Mohr, Emma Wilson, Emma Key, Dave Ottewell, Edvin Deadman,
Adrian Horrell. Leader Migel Dibben
DCC.
I have known Nigel Dibben since the early
1970’s when we were both in Birmingham University Speleo Society together. It
was good to meet up again. I was looking forward to this trip for some time as
we cancelled it last March due to snowy weather. We were due to meet at
Alderley edge on the National Trust car park near the Wizard pub at 11 am. In
the event everyone was early so we quickly got changed and set off for the
short walk across the road and through the wood to Wood Mine entrance. We were
underground well before 12 o’clock! The plan was to explore most of Wood Mine,
get to the lowest level and traverse the Hough Level, exploring Brynlow Mine on
the way, followed by Engine Vein Mine on the way out with an exit at the
eastern end of High Level below the Alderley Edge escarpment.
The mine was re-opened by the Derbyshire Caving
Club in the autumn of 1970. With permission from the National Trust a small
shaft was dug in the roof of
the original adit. This was the only entrance into the mine until the adit
entrance was reconstructed by Derbyshire Caving Club members. A 8 metre shaft
leads down into the top levels of Wood Mine. Nigel lead us through a confusing
network of passages and fixed ladders round in several circles past a variety
of features including the Green Waterfall, Blue Lake at a lower level and
several large chambers (Sand Caverns). This all took an hour or so. We
eventually made our way down to the lowest level. This connected to the Hough
Level and our way on to the next section of mine workings. Everyone was kept entertained my Nigel’s
excellent knowledge of the history and re-exploration of the mines by DCC.
From here the Hough Level follows a fault which
can clearly be seen, eastwardfs towards the Brynlow Mine. The level is mostly two metres high
but muddy and wet in places as it does partly drain the mine. Much of this
level was blocked by silt and huge quantities have been dug out over the years
by DCC to return it to what it was like when he mine was in its heyday.
Eventually you reach a large rock fall and blockage at Brynlow Mine. Here a
series of fixed ladders lead up and along the fault into 18th and 19th Century
workings. Most of the party ascended into the upper workings, while a few of us
stopped in the shafts taking photographs. In the 1930’s it was one of the main
ways into the mines until it became blocked with leaves and other vegetation,
it was reopened by the DCC in the 1980’s. The Hough Level continues from here
but the blockage mentioned above has dammed up the water flooding the level to
over two metres deep in places. You do not need to get wet as a Canadian canoe
and two plastic bathtubs are provided for the boat trip along the flooded level
for about 150 metres. A climb down a fixed ladder Onto a landing stage with
graffiti on the walls from the 1930’s The boat trip using the canoe and two
bathtubs provided some entertainment for various members and Steve got shouted
at for going too fast as he might capsize one of the bathtubs. The roof is
quite low in places and you need to keep quite low in the boat to avoid
smacking your head on the roof! At the far end theatre is shallow and there is
an old rotten boat from the 1930’s. The level continues drier for several
hundred metres towards Engine Vein Mine.
Engine Vein dates back to Roman Times in the upper
workings and in fact the surface workings are thought to be Bronze Age. Access
to the mine from Hough Level is via the Blue Shaft, an inclined shaft with
several ladders, so called because of its blue copper flowstone covered walls.
This climbing shaft bypasses the main 50 metre deep Bear Pit shaft originally
from the surface and now capped. A series of inclined workings and steps lead
up into some large workings and an impressive bridge structure built by DCC for
taking in tourists on their open days.
They built a railway with small trucks here for
clearing out some sections of blocked level. This gave a great opportunity for
the ten year olds in the party to play with a train set as Dinny, Steve and
Edvin pushed the trucks up and down the passage. Here the party split into
smaller groups as we wandered around this section of the mine exploring parts
for ourselves for some considerable time.
The time eventually came for us to exit via the
rest of Hough Level. Again several hundred metres of walking level with a
working railway lead to the locked exit gate at the base of Alderley Edge. The
level contains several large working ore tubs and this gave the ten year olds
chance to play at being Indiana Jones. The noise of the trucks up and down the
level gave us a good idea how noisy the working environment must have been,
when the mine was fully working. Once on the surface a short walk up a steep
hill leads up onto the top of the Edge and takes you past the Bronze Age
surface workings of Engine Vein and several other features described to us by
Nigel.
We returned to the National Trust car park at
the Wizard pub after a trip of four and a half hours and adjoined to the Tea
shop, where Nigel took the opportunity to sell a few copies of his recently
published book on the Mines of Alderley Edge, a copy of which is in the club
library. I really enjoyed the trip and I think everyone else did.
Andy Hall
