Stocks House Shaft. Priddy, Mendip.

When:  29 Mar 2014  14.30 – 16.30 pm.
Where:  Stocks House Shaft. Priddy, Mendip.
Who:    Darren T, Rich T.

Stocks House Shaft is in Stock Hill Forest and about 50 metres from the Cornish Shaft entrance to Five BuddIes Sink.  It is thought possible that it could have been one of Thomas Bushell's twenty shafts, sunk around 1657 in the search for a natural cave or "swallow" from which drain unwanted water from the flooded lead mines. A number of mining relics were recovered when it was excavated by the BEC between 1999 and 2001.
The entrance is a concrete tube lined shaft some 15m deep. This intercepts a small stream way which leads through some gnarly crawl areas, a 6m high boulder filled rift and into a natural passage which ends in a heavily silted too tight passage some100m later.  The part called Silt level is a flat out crawl through the stream way and under a low passage.
A very interesting mine especially when its the first entrance pitch you rig yourselves for SRT.

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Single Way Mine. Bathampton Down.

When:  28 Mar 2014  19.30 – 21.45 pm.
Where:  Single Way Mine.
Who:    Darren T, Dave the Cave and Steve.

First trip down this mine. Its a complete contrast to another mine very close by. All be it within walking distance of Bath University. In such a way as there is absolutely no student rubbish what so ever.
 It is a small underground quarry probably as a result of the poor quality stone. The entrance had collapsed but was re-opened in 2009. A short vertical drop requiring a scramble down a boulder slope leads into a 3m high and 2m wide passage with passages branching off right and left to complexes of workings. The main passage continues straight ahead and terminates in a similar complex. there is a number of roof collapses, some of which are very large. All in all a very pleasant little mine to explore although you have to mind when you enter and exit as its on a golf coarse.

One of the passageways with a large piece of roof on the floor.

 

 Another collapse, note haulage rope marks on right hand pillar.

    Another large collapse.

 

 

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Five Buddles Sink. Priddy, Mendip.

When:  23 Mar 2014  10.00 – 12.00 pm.
Where:  Five Buddles Sink. Priddy, Mendip.
Who:    Darren T, Rich T.

A small lead mine which shows several periods of activity since before 1709.  There is the remains of a wheel pit at one end which would have housed a 10.5 feet diameter water wheel.  From the foot of the pitch a short mined level leads to 20 metres of natural streamway, which is walled in places by the lead miners.  This runs under the road to the foot of a 3 metre Cornish shaft.  From the foot of the shaft a 10 metre long natural rift can be entered.  Much of the passage still contains wooden flooring from the late 19th century, when the site was used as a tailings pit by the Mendip Hills Mining Company.

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