Just finishing off the captions for next year's calendar...

Does anyone have any historical information on Danby Level Lead Mine, please? :flowers:

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Yep, will email you something this evening in the event nobody else does first.

From British Mining No. 53, The Arkengarthdale Mines [Les Tyson]:

"Danby Level with its impressive tips and incline down to the Blackhills dressing floors, was driven south-west, at 1472 feet AOD, to command the Main Limestone, which begins too dip gently westwards towards Little Punchard Gill. This level cut Stodart's Vein and ignored it, but followed Martin's Vein ESE nearly as far as the Great Blackside Vein. The main drive cut several veins. These included Luck's All Vein, a continuation of Surrender North vein, which was followed for 3250 feet, Wetshaw Head Vein and Marsh String. Rich ground was discovered in the 1880s when a crosscut driven from Marsh String cut the Far North and Grey Game Veins. A notable feature of the mine is an underground horse whim chamber which connects through an eyehole cut in the rock, to a deep shaft into Danby Under Level. There is also a wide barytes vein near the chamber."

Reckon that this is the mentioned horse chamber:

🔗Danby-Level-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-66345[linkphoto]Danby-Level-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-66345[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Danby-Level-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-66342[linkphoto]Danby-Level-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-66342[/linkphoto][/link]

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Found some more info about Danby in Swaledale - Its Mines and Smelt Mills [Mike Gill]:

P109 "Most of the ore from Danby Level had been worked out by 1816 and so an 11 fathom deep underground shaft had been sunk to an under-level. Ore and rock were raised from the shaft by a horse whim in an underground chamber. Water normally drained into the Underset Limestone, but the workings flooded in wet weather. To remedy this, the company was driving two existing levels northwards, across the Blackside Vein, to give extra depth. Turf Moor which was 20 fathoms lower, would work the Underset Beds, while Moulds Level, some 46 fathoms lower, would give access to the Third and Fourth Limestones."

P114 "Danby Level was the principal mine, with between 60 and 70 men working in it. Nevertheless, large parts of the workings were inaccessible, too small or without rails. The horse level forehead was about half a mile from the level mouth and was being driven by six men. There was no air shaft and the only ventilation came from fissures in the limestone, which tended to suck air into the mine. The ore workings were about nine fathoms above the level and were reached by climbing on stemples in a very wet rise."

Hope this helps, Dave H

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The photos aren't loading for me - crap phone browser - but if they are of the underground shaft with the slot at headheight through to a roundish chamber then yes, its the gin chamber and shaft.

Glad I got the right place then. Was pretty sure it must be that bit as didn't find any other roundish rooms in Danby. Bit hairy getting to that bit like!

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