Purbeck ball clay mining · AditNow Community

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derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

http://www.pmmmg.org/NordenNumber6Mine.htm

I remember hearing of this when I was at CSM and I note that underground mining continued to 1999 - anyone know anything about it?

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

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Dolcoathguy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

15 years ago

Extract from Imerys site

Quote:

Wareham, Dorset, UK

Main Activity: Ball clay production

Main market(s): Tiles & Refractories

All activities are ISO 9001:2000 certified and ISO 14000 registered.

Dorset Ball Clays have five pits, Trigon, Doreys, Povington, Hawk Post and Furzeyground and a processing plant situated at Furzebrook near Wareham. Ball Clays from these operations have been used within the British Isles since the 17th century for local and UK-wide ceramic use but since the beginning of the 19th century they have predominately been exported to countries throughout Europe. The clays are now sold throughout the world primarily to tiles and refractory manufacturers because of their unique physical properties.

The operations processing plant at Furzebrook shreds, blends the clays from the pits which is sold in bulk or bagged formed. We can also further process the clays through a mill to produce a range of refractory and tile products. With the support of the on site laboratory facilities this range of clays can meet all the needs of our customers

Not being in the Ball Clays division I can email the manager on Monday if no-one else can confirm when underground mining ceased.

Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

Purbeck museum site seems clear enough that No 7 mine was the last, operating from 1990 - 1999

production seems to be current from several open pits, at least at the last website update date - which appears to be 2008

I was more interested in how the underground mining actually operated. It seems that drifts were driven using colliery arches and full timber laggings; drifts don't seem to be sufficiently large for any machinery larger than a Brokk and the use of small v-skips suggests hand-loading. The arch-and-lagging construction for the drifts suggests that the clay would swell significantly on exposure to air and stress relief from mining activities - so what would the actual extraction face look like?

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

1950s brochure

http://www.clayheritage.org/pages/Dorset-ThePikeFayleBrochureofthe1950s.htm

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

Tamarmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

15 years ago

I was mooching around the Purbecks in the early 90s.

Steel arching and timber laggging were the order of the day.

Shovel tipped air picks were used for cutting clay.

At the time my particular interest was the rail systems (the mining being ancillary). Mines like Norden No 7, Aldermoor and Greenspecks all used 22" gauge tramways. V skips weren't in use. ECC used a standard wooden wagon with a hinged end. The nerd in me recalls that they had Rowbothams patent self oiling axle boxes. The wagons were hauled out of the mines onto the tipping docks in rakes of four or five wagons. At the incline head were a series of skid plates which allowed the wagons to be tipped directly into lorries. In addition to the clay wagons there were also a numberof slightly smaller timberwagons with open ends (I used to have one until someone nicked it).

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

the only images I can find are of miners in an arch-and-lagging face with clay spades... did they simply drive headings through the clay deposits? Seems a very restrictive way of working; I can't picture how this could have worked. I know pillar-and-stall, I know Cornish-style stoping and the South African 'flat' stoping; I know longwall coal-shearing and I know open-pit woeking. But I can't picture what was done here.

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

Imageo
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

A colleague has sent me a newspaper cutting relating to this site. It's also currently available online but for how long. I'll also post the document

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8455052.Fossil_hunter_finds_historic_mine_cart_stuck_in_Purbeck_cliffside/?action=complain&cid=8852460

All the best

I'm a Geo

'There's a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness.'

Peter Burgess
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

That article refers the the even more unusual oil shale mine at Kimmeridge in the Jurassic beds, and not to the ball clay mines near Corfe.

Here is a very detailed account of the Kimmeridge oil shales.

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Kimmeridge-Oil-Shale.htm

JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

Presumably this is the wagon in question?

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg-Kimmeridge/10KM-Collapsed-Mine-Adit.jpg

The rails appear to be a mixture of flat bottom and bridge rail. Some could even be the remains of a point?

Dorsetboy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#10

All answers to your questions can be found on the Purbeck Mineral & Mining Musem website. www.pmmmg.org

The underground tubs do not have axle boxes.

Take a look at the bottom of the website home page where there is a revision box and click on "Mine tunnel Progress pictures added" and you will see one type of tunnel construction. The other main type was using pit props. We hope to create a short section of this type of construction in our simulated mine.

Original clay mine tunnels collapse as the wood rots, so there is no chance of exploring underground.

JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#11

http://www.pmmmg.org

😉

Dolcoathguy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#12

Sounds like it is worth a visit !
-I wonder if they have contacted Wheal Martyn Museum for any material / items relevent to Ball clays?

Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?

Dorsetboy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#13

Wheal Martyn Museum is all about China Clay which is a residue clay and not a transported clay like Ball Clay. The clays are used for different purposes.

As far as I am aware, all china clay in Cornwall was quarried. Ball clay has been underground mined in Dorset and Devon as well as been quarried.

At present there is something like 1M tons per year extracted by quarrying in UK with 80% going for export.

Dolcoathguy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#14

I believe Wheal Martyn got given material from ECC / imerys -ie historical documents / old equipment.
Some of this may relate to the Dorset ball Clay operation.
Maybe might be worth them asking, especially if it is stored and not on display.

Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?

Dorsetboy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#15

Thanks, I will ask.

Here is a picture underground in Purbeck

Tamarmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

#16

"Dorsetboy" wrote:
The underground tubs do not have axle boxes.

Whilst "Purbeck tubs" did not have a coventional outside axle box the Rowbothomas is actually integral to the wheel/ axle assembly - perhaps a betterterm would be self oiling bearing.

Dorsetboy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

#17

The last clay obtained from an underground mine in Purbeck was from Aldermoor Mine. No.7 mine was open but was recovering from a flood. They were both decomissioned about the same time as Imerys decided to stop all further mining activities.

The steel arches from entrance of Aldermoor can be seen in the Mining Museum at Norden. They have been recoved and erected to provide a shelter and a seat on the entrance path to the museum.
:smartass:

rikj
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

#18

Small description of the more modern mining techniques used, here:

http://www.clayheritage.org/pages/TheProductionandPropertiesofDevonBallclays.htm

Worth having a browse of the whole site as well 🙂