Westcott Mine

Location - 3 miles south of Pontesbury (NGR SJ405015)

Minerals - Barytes and copper

Working Life - Known working life : 1859-1945

History (Westcott Mine", Adrian Pearce, SCMC Journal No.2)

1859-1870

The first recorded mining was for copper in 1859, when John Harrison & Company worked the mine by opencasting, levels and 4 shafts. There may have been mining before this date but no record has yet been found. John Harrison used to work the lead mine at Meadowtown until 1858 but, since this is only small, it presumably became worked out and he transferred his attentions to Westcott. In 1867, the mine was sold to the Westcott Mine Company, whose manager was John Kitto. The latter was also manager at Central Snailbeach Mine (see separate article) and he may have been responsible for erecting the pumping engine house and chimney at the main shaft.

The depth of the main shaft is not known but the water table is very near the surface here and pumping would have been necessary at relatively shallow depths. In 1870, Kitto was replaced by Jason Nancarrow (a Cornishman) who had been manager at Bog Mine between 1864-69. His managership does not seem to have lasted long since the mine appears to have closed in that same year. The only recorded output of copper for this period was :-

1866 60 tons - value not known
1867 98 tons - value £766
1868 21 tons - value £152.

1890-1894

The mine was worked for barytes during this period by M Hulton-Harrop, who was the landowner. In 1890, there were 5 men working on the surface and 3 underground but by 1891 this had reduced to only 4 underground. Westcott Mine closed again in 1894 and Hulton-Harrop concentrated on his mines at Gatten and Rhadley. The only recorded output of barytes during this period was :-

1890 783 tons - value £574
1891 563 tons - value £281
1892 239 tons - value £120
1893 100 tons - value £50
1894 100 tons - value £50.

It seems that the returns for 1893-94 were guesses - he obviously didn't like filling in official forms!

1910-1945

During this period, the Huglith Mine extracted barytes and it was the biggest such operation in Shropshire. A level was driven underground from the Huglith workings at a depth of 250ft and found barytes veins up to 20 inches wide under the old Westcott Mine. These were worked for a short time but were abandoned when better reserves were found to the north. It is believed that Westcott Birches was the original mine manager's house, although it was later occupied by the mine fitter.

Surface Remains

The main part of this mine around the engine house, boiler house and shaft has been landscaped into a garden for Westcott Birches. Pump rods used to stick out of the shaft but it has now been filled with rubbish. Two adjacent adits have collapsed but one was open in 1960.

South of the garden, there are two open adits east of the track but neither goes very far. Further on is a collapsed adit west of the track and the open main adit east of the track. This connects with a shaft that leads to surface. Further up the hillside is an open stope and two collapsed shafts. To the west of the road is the tip of a collapsed shaft and a collapsed trial adit.