This mine was worked for copper in the early 19th century but it had
ceased by 1859. These workings were presumably on the Riddleswood Vein and all
traces were obliterated by later operations. It was opened again in 1910 by the
Wotherton Barytes & Lead Mining Co Ltd but production did not exceed 1000
tons per year at first. The mine was subsequently taken over by Shropshire
Mines Ltd and eventually Malehurst Barytes Co Ltd, who expanded it to became
the largest barytes mine in the county. In 1936, it was producing over 20,000
tons per year and the total recorded production was 295,108 tons. The mine
closed in 1945 and the site is now covered by a coniferous plantation.
Working at this mine was characterised by large stopes and many of these
have broken through to surface. The main shaft was actually sunk through one of
these open stopes to a depth of 250ft and the headgear appears to have been a
girder construction which bridged the stope walls. The shaft itself was
inclined and the cage was slanted to allow trucks to be offloaded along a
shallow adit to surface. Underground, a crosscut to the Mud Vein had a "main
& tail" haulage system to pull trucks just under 1 mile to the shaft.
With this system, a chain of trucks was connected to the end of a cable which
stretched to the main shaft. Here, it passed around a horizontal pulley wheel
(powered by an engine) and returned to the far end of the crosscut. At this
point, it again passed around a pulley wheel and the end was attached to the
last truck in the chain. The chain of trucks could then be pulled in either
direction.
All of the mine area has now been planted with trees which makes
location difficult. Most of the mine was worked on three distinct veins, Main
Vein, Riddleswood Vein and the Mud Vein. but there are also some trial adits in
other parts of the site. Most of the currently accessible workings are on the
Main Vein but there is a reasonable amount of accessible workings on the
Riddleswood Vein. There are not believed to be any accessible workings on the
Mud Vein.
A Forestry Commission track from the road leads to the remains of
numerous buildings around Main Shaft. These include the foundations of the
winding engine, compressor and boiler, brick transformer house, smithy, metal
chimney (now on the ground) and a set of concrete pillars which were the
terminal of the aerial ropeway that connected the mine to the mill at
Minsterley. Further concrete pier bases for this can be seen at places along
the route. There is an open flooded shaft to the south-west of the buildings
with an open adit into it.
Main Shaft descends for a distance in an open stope to the north of the
buildings but there was a girder headgear across this for winding. It is now
blocked 80ft down by a mass of slipped concrete and this, plus overhanging
debris, makes the area very dangerous. It was originally 250ft deep, inclined
on the vein and wide enough for two cages.
The Main Vein Adit Level was located just to the west of this but it has
now collapsed. The line of the vein can be easily followed up the hill and
there are many points where the vein has been worked to surface. Approximately
two-thirds of the way up the hill, there is a large cutting in which there is
the top of a worked stope that can be descended 140ft to the main tramming
level. Immediately adjacent to the top of the stope there is a short adit
leading to a shaft to surface. Further up the hill, some shallow surface
workings can be walked into with no apparent connection to the lower workings.
However, at the top of the hill, the open vein can be descended via a number of
routes to the upper levels of the underground workings.
The Main Vein workings can also be accessed from the side of the hill
via Badger Level. At the vein, the level divides left and right. To the right,
a 20ft drop leads to an extensive stope running for a distance of 50 yards. In
places, this stope breaks out to surface, connecting to above. In the stope
there are the remains of various intermediate levels suspended on stemples and
a spectacular string of azurite running down the wall from Badger Level.
Heading to the left at the junction on Badger Level, the passage leads
to a winze after 10ft and then continues through a couple of constrictions for
250ft, where a collapse prevents further progress. Beyond the first
constriction, there is a ramp up into the upper workings where there are routes
to surface and back down to above the initial junction in Badger Level. The
winze is 110ft deep to the main tramming level and still contains the
compressor pipe.
As noted above, Adit Level can be reached via the 140ft stope part way up
the hill or by descending the 110ft winze from Badger Level. At the bottom of
this winze, Adit Level is blocked in the 'in-by' direction by an extensive
collapse. In the opposite direction (towards the level entrance), it leads past
a pool of azurite mine pearls to an area of loose ground underneath a stope.
Several felt hats and the base of a carbide lamp made by Messrs P & H Ltd
of
Above the area of unstable floor is the 140ft stope to surface. Below
this point, the vast stope below the Adit Level can be accessed and descent to
the water level allows inspection of intermediate workings. There is an open
connection to the area below the two winzes but the open void and water prevent
significant progress further in. A rubble slope, just beyond the unstable
floor, leads down to the 75ft Level from which it is possible to descend into
the water. The flooded chamber here may be on the line of Main Shaft.
Plans are available that show that the Main Vein originally continued
significantly further into the hill. Where Adit Level is blocked, there was a
significant deviation from the worked line which is presumed to have been an
unstable area. At surface there are various large depressions, mainly difficult
to access due to excessive vegetation. The limit of the workings on Main Vein
probably correspond to a 60ft deep shaft at the eastern edge of the forestry.
Early investigations by the club report that the shaft was blocked with
herbicide tins and might be deeper. Some stoping has been carried out at the
shaft bottom and short levels containing rails go both ways at the bottom but
both end at blind headings after a short distance. A 15ft winze leads to a
lower level, heading back towards the shaft where it is blocked. These workings
are rather puzzling and appear to have been constructed from below.
By following the tramway north from the entrance of Badger Level,
another adit is reached. This adit, which contains waist deep water, is blind
but it is believed that it was originally intended to go through the hill to
link Badger Level and Mud Vein workings. The ridge of this hill is effectively
the line of the Riddleswood workings.
In a similar manner to the Main Vein workings, the line of the
Riddleswood Vein can be clearly followed on the surface but the undergrowth is
generally thicker and the lower end of the workings are virtually impossible to
reach.
Near the road is a flooded shaft with the top of a compressor pipe
showing. This was a trial sunk in the 1940s. Near the main Forestry Commission
track, there is a cutting with flooded adits at each end. Progressing up the
hill, a stope head below a spoil tip can be descended 80ft into complex
workings, some of which might be on the Lower Riddleswood Day Level, the
entrance of which is collapsed. Further up the hill is a collapsed adit which
connected with an inclined shaft. Part of this adit has been driven through the
brow of the hill on a thin vein. The shaft has been descended 110ft to the
Upper Day Level. Into the hill, it ends after a short distance at a blind
heading, with a side passage to the left following the cauter vein seen on the
hill top. In the other direction, it leads to a collapse near surface, with
some small stopes.
The Mud Vein workings have not been investigated but are expected to be
under water. Some opencasting has been done on this vein and at least two
shafts have been filled by the farmer over the years.