Thanks to the very nice people who mended the gate at Middlecleugh - job well done. :thumbsup:

On the other hand, for the pieces of excrement who caused the need for the repair: go a long way away, take a known poison and do not come back until you are dead. :curse:

Also in condemnation this week: the low-life illegitimate offspring of a slug who smashed up the Wheel Flats sign and, as is likely, their group leader who allowed it to happen. :guns:

---

Why is it gated in the first place and what do you have to do in order to get the other side of the gate?

Is this in the middle of a housing estate, or is it more empire building from individuals who have taken it upon themselves to gate a mine for their own benefit and control?

Just asking, as I view most gating as totally OTT and unnecessary.

(in my college days, I spent a fair bit of time out at nenthead (97-00) and don't remember any gates which one couldn't climb over.)

Obviously, if they are putting public safety at risk, this is hugely awful and we should all chorus in hand wringing and muttering, but if not..... Hmmmm.

NB:- Please don't take offense at my reply, it is not meant to be offensive, nor is it meant to incite rage in anyone, it is a genuine querie about the situation.

Bumped into a group of about a dozen lads on Sunday afternoon, without helmets and going to the ballroom for a smoke.

Roy said he saw them the week before.
No cars in the car park, must be locals.

Have no evidence they have anything to do with any recent damage though.

Just asking, as I view most gating as totally OTT and unnecessary.

Rein in your rant, Nenthead is a vast complex thats open to all, no locks, clubs or special handshakes

All of the gates are purely to stop idiots/animals wander in, they are not locked.

Middlecleugh is locked because there was an archaeological study going on in there, although that is in limbo since the failure of the NPHT.

Thomson Level is also locked because there was a dig in there, but its about 10m from the entrance so you're not missing much.

Also in condemnation this week: the low-life illegitimate offspring of a slug who smashed up the Wheel Flats sign and, as is likely, their group leader who allowed it to happen. :guns:

Not that anyone wants to see any damage, but 'Wheel Flats' is a modern invention, I suspect coined during the early modern era of exploration.

Its nice to get it off your chest but I would say the chances of someone who uses this forum being responsible are absolutely zero, i'm sorry to say the large group of local teenage lads is getting my vote as most likely cause.

Stuey

Middlecleugh Level entrance had been blocked for many years and access was not possible. NPHT arranged the clearance and rebuilding of the entrance, which was carried out by CATMHS members on behalf of NPHT. This clearance revealed that the mine was unaffected by modern graffiti, wooden rails were intact in places and that the archaeology had not been damaged by heavy footfall, rail removal, commercial mineral exploitation etc.

NPHT had a responsibility to prevent accidental access to the mine and were looking for a mine to demonstrate that the Mining History community could be responsible in its management of historic sites. You will be aware that the archaeology world in general has a poor impression of the mining exploration community - whether this is valid or not is debatable. However, perception is what matters! Middlecleugh Level was therefore chosen as the mine to show that we could be as good as the professionals, when it comes to archaeology.

Work started on draining water from the flooded sections prior to starting a detailed survey of the mine. NPHT then went into administration and work has been suspended.

I am hoping that this work can continue - to meet the original aims. It is possible to arrange tours of the mine. Contact me if you want to arrange a tour.

The key features of the mine are very long drives in the shale below the Firestone. Considering that a great deal of this mine was driven before 1800, it is in good condition. There are long sections of dead straight drives in shale, sometimes with waist deep ( or deeper ) water. Veins where seen tend to be unmineralised faults in shale. One might assume that the level was driven largely for ventilation of the lower workings and, in the usual LLCo way, the connecting rises have been backfilled at later times. There are some sections which demand careful travelling.

Whatever happens about the conservation of the mines at Nenthead, I believe that it would be good if Middlecleugh Level could be properly recorded and conserved.

---

As I understand it the majority of the gates at Nenthead originally were put in place by Cumbria council under one of their job creation schemes.
The gates were not locked and were designed to be used by two people. One to hold up the door and the other to hold it from the inside so the other person could enter the mine.
Thus this simple idea was to deter explorers going underground by themselves.
Over the years the hinges/ raw bolts have worn and when NPHT came into existence they took over the maintenance of them. Which of course is most admirable.
Damage to gates etc is dispicable since clearly it encourages ill-equipped people to go underground.
Until the new society gets up and running then anyone of us who are underground in the area I suggest carries out any simple maintainance and any major ones post on this site.

Thanks for your replies chaps.

Whilst I was up at Newcastle (97-00) I was particularly interested in non-sandstone coal measure outcrops and associated fossils whilst studying (mostly) inorganic chemistry.

My particular tutor was a retired chap called Pete Carty who was a proper old school chemist. I remember him asking me how I would know something was absolutely pure and me saying "well, I'd run an IR/NMR/GC of it" and he said "No, you grow bloody great big crystals".

"How do you get them out of the flask?"

"Break the flask!"

I grew some whoppers and the object of any synthesis was to grow massive crystals of whatever you were making, even if you had to use a 20L insulated oil bath to gradually cool things down over a weekend. Even if we were making something really complex and tricky, we'd always end up with big crystals.

Pete suggested that I went out and had a look at mineralisation as this was the crux of geology. I spent a load of time out at Nent Head poking around various features. It may sound like Pete was a mineral collector and vandal, but he said one of the prize sites was a whacking set of "X" crystals which were about a foot long and these were vandalised mindlessly.

I wasn't kitted up to go underground, but I found a sort of vuggy thing and had my old wooden handled hammer and got a few samples. It was fascinating poking around the surface and oddly enough, I can remember (I think) finding some very well preserved ammonites in a flaggy sandstone.

Those were indeed the days. I can remember having a map drawn on several bits of A4 attached to an old clip board and it raining and me poking around like an unleashed spaniel.

Happy days.

Regardless of where you are, sadly someone is likely to do something stupid and it really saddens me when people take it upon themselves to gate places as a response to this.

One day I'd love to go for a poke around there again and I'm sure, 15 years on, I would appreciate it a whole lot more. 🙂

I'd be happy to show you some of the easier bits to get to and no doubt some of the more experienced hands will take you to the more interesting (or downright scary depending on your point of view) areas.

Unfortunately society seems to have a certain element who feel the need to break things. This is a sad reflection on humanity I fear...

---

It's a shame.

A while ago, I fitted a bat castle with a removable bar. It involved fabricating a couple of sleeves to fit over the cut bar. This was in the middle of nowhere in some bushes. We went back the other day to see that not only was the bar missing, someone had gone to "the balcony" below (for viewing something a bit special) and stolen the modular fence which protected the viewer from a sodding great big shaft. What was even more bizarre was that they had swept "the floor" as well.

OCD vandals perhaps?