Wilderley Mine
The following is based on a set of photographs of the above mine dated
1917, together with a letter and report concerned with its progress at that
time. The work was being carried out by the Anglo-Rhodesia Investment Co Ltd
and the Annual List of Mines shows this company as having an average of 9 men
working underground and 6 on the surface. It seems that work had only recently
commenced and the letter dated 30th November 1917 was an attempt to attract the
Rev T R Walker and friends as investors.
"... our work is at present centred in three directions namely (1)
Sinking the Main Shaft, (2) Driving the Main Level (to cut the Main Shaft at a
depth of 253ft) and (3) Sinking of Boreholes to intersect the lode 420ft from
the surface, that is about 150ft below the Main Level.
The Main Shaft is down over 110ft and at 90ft a cross-cut out into the
Hanging-Wall exposed the lode with very favourable results. We are sinking down
to 140ft with all dispatch, and to cross-cut into the lode again, when our
Engineers are of the opinion Sulphide ore will be reached and suitable also for
the manufacture of Sulphuric Acid. In other words we can expect to reach actual
production from Sulphide ores at quite an early date.
The Main Level is being driven from the valley below and to be continued
through the hill. Owing to height of the hill (rising over 500ft) above our
Main Level, an immense tonnage should be obtained from this Level alone, to say
nothing of values from many hundred feet below the Main Level.
The Boring is to be undertaken now in order to prove values below the
Main Level and to indicate quickest and cheapest method of attacking the lode
at depth.
A local colliery proprietor - himself a fully certificated Mining
Engineer with many years practical mining experience in our neighbourhood also
gives us much assistance. The survey plan he had prepared for us shows that
this copper lode has already been proved for about 1000 yards. He is also of
the opinion ours is the Master Lode of the district and of no small value.
Further, that under the Barytes valuable copper will be found running East-West
and intersecting our North-South lode.
Outside our Northern boundary and on our Northern extension, level
headed businessmen are opening up the same lode [is this Huglith?] and spending
capital like water in mining operations upon a big scale and in installing
costly and large plant.
Our results obtained to date involve an expenditure of about only £4,000
provided by local, Yorkshire,
As our Engineers indicate we should undertake Boring operations and
generally accelerate our work, we are now raising further funds. Seeing we can
confidentially anticipate a quite reasonably and satisfactory early return,
your friends need have no hesitation whatever as to interesting themselves in
our company.
Yours sincerely
P.S. Have just started a contractor on the Main Shaft. I hope to run it
down very quickly -I think we may be able to make the 2nd cross-cut into the
lode before Xmas, when its more than likely production will follow quite
reasonably soon afterwards."
The typed letter is not signed unfortunately and appears to be an office
copy retained by the company. At some later date, it has been overwritten in
ink "Mrs H A Ransome Private & Confidential". Attached to the
letter is a further sheet.
"During the month of July it became necessary to approach the
Ministry of Munitions for Permits to purchase materials for working; the
Department before granting this required to be satisfied that the prospects of
the Company would warrant the grant of such permission, and asked that a Report
from some approved Mining Engineer should be obtained. The name of Messrs
Hooper, Speak & Co, of London Wall Buildings, was submitted and accepted by
the Department and Mr Speak visited the mine on July 18th and 19th. Mr Speak
furnished an exhaustive and satisfactory report.
Subsequent working rendered it advisable to send new samples to Mr
Speak, on receipt of which he writes in favourable terms, the following being
extracts.
'These samples are decidedly encouraging, for the amount of pyritic
matter they contain is almost a sure indication that you are nearly down to a
depth where the ore-body will exist in a more massive condition. The sulphides
are coming in earlier than we anticipated, and we feel fairly sure that if you
carry down the shaft a further 50ft and crosscut again you will then obtain
satisfactory results ... We consider it highly probable that about 50ft deeper
will reach the limits of surface oxidation, and the ore-body will then show
something of interest to sulphuric acid makers ... we certainly consider that
you have an excellent prospect of discovering a valuable ore-body at a small
cost ... When our expectations are great, as in the present instance, we can
strongly recommend the spending of the necessary money, properly to test the
ore-body. It is a speculation with excellent prospects, there are chances of
great reward ... We have no hesitation whatever in stating that the prospects
fully warrant the work we have recommended.'
Have executed about half of the 50ft required and, having a contractor
now, the balance footage cannot take long.
P.S. (NOTE) The manufacture of Sulphuric Acid is a bye-product, and by
so removing the
We don't know if the Reverend Walker and friends were tempted to help
finance the scheme but the whole operation closed the following year. By that
time, the shaft had presumably been sunk to the required level but it would
seem that the "bonanza" was not forthcoming. It is interesting to
note the use of sulphide minerals in the production of sulphuric acid. The
latter was used in making munitions and, during the First World War, the
country obviously needed as much as possible. The note in the report seems to
indicate that the ore was treated to produce sulphuric acid before copper
extraction began. If so, this might well have been on site but it is not known
what apparatus would have been used.
The photos are a useful insight of a mine in the process of being
equipped. The Main Level has rails and a wooden door and, if it reached the
shaft, would have been almost 1mile long. The main shaft was apparently on the
site of an earlier adit and was being equipped when the photos were taken. The
headgear had a single pulley wheel and it was enclosed within a corrugated iron
building. The survey actually shows two parallel and adjacent shafts but it is
not clear from the photos if both these were in the building. Nearby was the
winding engine which was a steam winch, possibly off a trawler. The boiler was
upright and all of these were enclosed in another corrugated iron building.
The two shafts on the main site have been filled with rubbish. The
foundations of the engine shed and office building can be distinguished but the
most obvious feature is the cracked concrete reservoir.
The drainage level is in the bottom of the valley to the north. There is
a large tip but the entrance has been dammed as a water supply. To the
south-west is a small collapsed trial adit. There was an extension of the light
railway which ran from the Cothercott Mill and this can be followed for most of
its course. It may have been originally intended to extend this to Wrentnall
Mine but it didn't get much further beyond the drainage level. What appears to
be a lower spur line ends suddenly and may have finished because they couldn't
get permission to follow the direct line through a smallholding. The higher
course has to perform a loop through a cutting and embankment to avoid the
smallholding. The body of an old tipping truck lies by the line here but there
are plans to recover it for preservation.