crickleymal
8 years ago
Somewhere in the last year I read a report about a trip or a surface walk in the woods by Chepstow racecourse where two or three levels were found and explored. Blowed if I can remember where I read this. I'm trying to plough through the RFDCC newsletters to see if I can find anything but does anybody have any info about this please? Or is it just a product of my fevered imagination? Note I am not talking about Chepstow Limestone mine which is on the other side of the river and which wasn't really a mine.
Malc.
Rusted and ropey, Dog eared old copy
Vintage and classic or just plain Jurassic
All words to describe me.
caver1
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8 years ago
AFAIK - (not mush really...) the only underground features under the racecorse are Otter Hole, a tidal cave, and some associated swallets. Otter Hole is a hard trip but worth it for the pretties. A leader is required I believe?
Wormster
8 years ago
otter hole is leader and tidal, one day I'll get to see it myself

Better to regret something you have done - than to regret something you have not done.
Graigfawr
8 years ago
Otter Hole entrance series, which is fairly long and very muddy crawls, floods on every tide. There then follows a low point that doesn't always open on every tide as it depends on how low the tide actually is. Beyond is a lengthy and well decorated cave with some large passages. Its gated and all trips need a RFDCC leader. Visiting clubs usually book a trip some months in advance - either a short trip on a single low tide, or a long trip from one low tide to the next low tide. I've both sat and watched the tidal sump not open at all (and then gone to the pub) and enjoyed a trip into the memorable cave beyond.

There are other smaller caves around the area including at least one other tidal one.

There are numerous limestone quarries in the area (including overlying Otter Hole) but no mines that I've heard of. The closest mines on the Welsh side of the River Wye would be St.Pierre Haematite Mine a couple of miles to the south, the exact position of which seems to be unknown - the late Alisdair Neill and I corresponded about it a few years ago and were surprised at the lack of information.

If you find mention of a mine in the area do post it on aditnow!
RAMPAGE
8 years ago
"Graigfawr" wrote:

I've both sat and watched the tidal sump not open at all



That's what explosives are for.
Beneath my steely exterior beats the heart of a dashing hero
crickleymal
8 years ago
No definitely not Otter Hole. I'm sure one was an adit, but for the life of me I can't remember a where I saw it.
Malc.
Rusted and ropey, Dog eared old copy
Vintage and classic or just plain Jurassic
All words to describe me.
crickleymal
8 years ago
Closing in on it
http://www.zen159313.zen.co.uk/rfdcc/resources/newsletters/Newsletter_057.pdf  page 9
Malc.
Rusted and ropey, Dog eared old copy
Vintage and classic or just plain Jurassic
All words to describe me.
crickleymal
8 years ago
Aha!
http://www.zen159313.zen.co.uk/rfdcc/resources/newsletters/Newsletter_053.pdf  page 6
Malc.
Rusted and ropey, Dog eared old copy
Vintage and classic or just plain Jurassic
All words to describe me.
Graigfawr
8 years ago
Well done for tracking down those RFDCC references! They mentioned that the locations had been passed to "The Registry" - presumably the Cambrian Cave Registry?

http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewobject/llgc-id:1171940/article/000042358 

The two lead workings near Chepstow that Tucker mentioned are:

Lead workings at Piercefield near Chepstow (unlocated by Tucker; placed by him in 1km square ST 52/95) - see pp.38-39, 39-40, 50. Tucker referenced W.Rees "Industry before the industrial revolution", vol.2, pp. 448 and 483 (error for 484), both of which in turn reference "Llwyd, 1697". Tucker also referenced the booklet I.Waters "Piercefield on the banks of the River Wye", Chepstow, 1975, p.26 (a booklet I have not seen), which mentioned workings in 1784. Llwyd, 1697 is usually given as Edward Lhuyd. Rees's bibliography on p.674 shows that he consulted the published transcribed version of Lhuyd's "parochial queries": R. H. Morris (ed.), Parochialia being a summary of answers to "Parochial queries in order to a geographical dictionary, etc., of Wales", "Archaeologia Cambrensis supplements", April 1909, 1910, July 1911. The "parochial queries" were printed sets of questions that Lhuyd sent to parishes across Wales in 1696 to gather information on numerous subjects (including mines and minerals in which he a special interest) for his proposed publications on the natural history of Wales, for which he also toured Wales in 1697. He died in 1709 before publishing more than the first volume (on Celtic languages) of his ambitious proposed multi-volume work on Wales. The manuscript answers to Lhuyd's " parochial queries" are in the National Library of Wales; the 1909-1911 published transcript is the version that most researchers use. Rees merely states (p.448) that "Llwyd in 1697 speaks of the mining of lead ... at Piercefield near Chepstow", and (p.484) "he speaks ... of the mining of lead at Piercefield near Chepstow". Arch. Camb. Supplements published transcripts of original documents; I cannot find the relevant vols online.

Lead workings at Galley Hill near Chepstow (ST 530/936) in 1789 - see p.48. Tucker referenced this to “Gwent County Record Office E. & E. 0736”. Gwent Archives (as it now is named) does not appear to have an online catalogue.
DanMoist
8 years ago
I found out about this via the RFDCC newsletter linked earlier in this thread. I've had three trips to the area in the last week to look for the adits but not found anything yet. Two people have told me that they've been there in the past but they couldn't remember where it was.

There's another few trips I need to do before I've tried all the easy options.

This book seems to suggest the adits are level with Walter's Weir (the weir is marked on the 1880 os maps). It's a bit further along the bank from Otter's Hole.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=z70HAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA447&lpg=PA447&dq=piercefield+lead&source=bl&ots=Ihnqlu8joF&sig=cDDXNwCrWGWb6dsG2Bawx25oJKA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNpcKpgsvUAhVQKFAKHTtrCpI4ChDoAQhAMAQ#v=onepage&q=piercefield%20lead&f=false 

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