Holme Bank chert mine (permission visit) - April 2017

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Newage

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
756
Reaction score
2,600
Hi All

As part of the Derby weekend me and Fluffy arranged a visit to Holme bank chert mine in Bakewell.

Holme Bank was the last of two operational chert mines in Derbyshire the other being the Pretoria Mine, both at Bakewell. Access was from adits in a quarry at Bank Top and the steep workings extended beneath the road to connect with the earlier Greenfield shaft. The chert bed lies on a 1 in 3.7 gradient and the mine was subject to flooding in severe winters. Illumination was by mains electricity in addition to carbide lamps carried by the miners.

Chert is a form of fine-grained, flinty silica most commonly found in veins in the uppermost beds of a limestone sequence. Chert was worked into tools in prehistoric times, easily shaped by chipping off flakes to produce sharp edges.

The most useful role for chert was recognised about two centuries ago for the grinding of calcined flint, used as a whitening agent in earthenware manufacture. In 1772 the potter Josiah Wedgwood recommended Derbyshire chert as a major improvement over granite millstones, which left annoying black specks in the pure white flint.

Well that`s the potted history, on with a few pictures.

This place looks like a proper death trap.

34250060771_172fa18839_b.jpg


34222603412_10fc4f5976_b.jpg


34380963765_ec1317cfe9_b.jpg


There are a few bits and bobs still in the mine, this is the only winch left.

34250127411_bc0da192bc_b.jpg


34222666182_dc6da84707_b.jpg


The area to the east of the mine is flooded and is used by mine divers, now the thought of diving in and underground mine is somewhat mental AFAIK, but fair play.

It`s deep - effing deep...........

33570761723_5e5ed659a5_b.jpg


Thanks for looking, all comments are most welcome.
If you want to see more pictures and you know you do, head on over to my FlickR site at:-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/newage2/albums/72157683278404865/with/33570761723/

Cheers Newage
 
Back
Top