Hello all,

Not an experienced mine explorer but I recently found reference to the Allensford Adit which, amazingly, is just outside Allensford in County durham. Here are some piccys (sorry for bad lighting but only had smart phone on me as I was doing an initial exploration to see if it still existed and was accessable :



Here is the location of it for google earth/maps : 54.848967637, -1.87566926506

I was wondering, has anybody ever visited this site and if so, can you tell me anything about it?

Best regards,

Steve

[tweak]Image link fixed - sl[/tweak]

hello buddy, you may have noticed some work having been done recently on the entrance.

we dropped the water a few weeks back to allow one of our lads to SWIM into the cavity behind.

He reported a small cavity and possible tunnel leading off but both are full to roof with water.

its rumoured to have been either and ironstone adit to serve the furnaces couple hundred yards upstream or its one of monck's trial adits around allensford in the 18th century.

hope this helps, weve exhausted all avenues for further explore and research

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Hi poosticker (seems funny typing that lol)

Thanks very much for that info, I think I definatly won't bother with effort to visit if it's flooded. Yes, I haven't been there before but did notice a lot of rocks around the entrance and marks on the wall as if the water had been much higher, but put that down to seasonal variations :o) So I take it the floor drops quickly as you go in, as the tunnel roof seemed low?

Did you go there as an amateur or was it for an official survey? I wish I had diving gear and balls of steel, I'd love to explore it all :o)

Are there any accessible ones you know in the area we might explore (as in, not flooded lol)?

Best regards,

Steve

it quickly drops after the fall, over head height water after 15ft or so.

My money is on it being a trial so we never bothered with it.

theres a few local although none so close to parking, best of the bunches are nearer blanchland.

do you use facebook? we have a group on there dedicated to caves and mines of the area.

also derwentside cave and mine club soon on the horizon.

be good to meet up, always a crowd of us and everyones there for same purpose.

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Yes, I'm on Facebook, I run a Youtube channel but only exploration video is the quarry at hownsgill. What's the group link please?

Yes, if you were to start up a local group, I'd be interested (would need kit first though as I have nothing atm). I've been watching mine videos on YouTube for years but never dared go alone and know nobody in real life that's interested, let alone have the skills to teach me 😉.

Steve 🙂

This part of Durham is a wee bit of my radar, but I had a plough through the National Library of Scotland's excellent online OS map resource and I think your adit is shown as Pemberton No. 2 (I presume are workings in a black band ironstone associated with the ironworks either on the opposite bank or at Consett?)

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102341506  [bottom LHS corner]

Hi grumpy,

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102341506#zoom=6&lat=1728&lon=2485&layers=BT 

What does bs mean (in old language lol)

Regards,

Steve

BS = boundary stone

There must be an unfenced boundary between two properties marked with boundary stones

You are right, B S does mean boundary stone, but the boundary in question is the county one between Durham and Northumberland.

Property boundaries were/are not specifically shown on OS maps.

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Hi grumpy,

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102341506#zoom=6&lat=1728&lon=2485&layers=BT 

What does bs mean (in old language lol)

Regards,

Steve

it is indeed a boundary stone, lots of them along the derwents north bank as its the old boundary line and still is in most cases.

the ironstone workings there predate the stuff at consett and seem to be more likely to do with the oley family producing iron for sword making in the 16/1700s.

its an interesting one though as there are references made by a charles monck to walter de bolbec concerning lead trials around allensford.

unfortunately without a large scale pump theres no way to get in past the flooding.

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Yes, I'm on Facebook, I run a Youtube channel but only exploration video is the quarry at hownsgill. What's the group link please?

Yes, if you were to start up a local group, I'd be interested (would need kit first though as I have nothing atm). I've been watching mine videos on YouTube for years but never dared go alone and know nobody in real life that's interested, let alone have the skills to teach me 😉.

Steve :)

is called 'north east explored' were always out and all of us are consett area locals so always something happening, be more than happy to show you some of the less well known and documented local stuff.

may even be a chance of getting onto a dig in near future if that tickles you.

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Thanks Sticker, a bit late at responding, I never got an email about your response but thought I'd check anyway 🙂 Yes, that would be great, need to sort myself out some basic kit first though as I have nothing to do this sort of activity 🙂 Hmm, big pump, that would be good if anybody had access 🙂

As an experiment in reducing water in a flooded level, our group has recently installed a syphon. The purpose is to gradually lower the water by assisting any natural drainage, and is intended to act over weeks and months rather than be a quick solution.

You will need an appropriate length of 25mm or 32mm blue alkathene water pipe, a 1100GPH bilge pump and a 12V motorcycle battery preferably the sealed gel-pac type. An assortment of hose clamps, cable ties and bicycle inner tube, hacksaw and Leatherman are also essential.

Now you've got a de-watering kit which is portable and inexpensive.

Run the pipe from as low down in the water as you can get it, with the exit pipe at least a metre below the inlet. If it is in the open, you will need to camouflage the pipe or bury it.

Attach the pump to the wet end of the pipe using inner tube and cable ties, submerge pump and apply power, this should fill the syphon in no time provided the maximum head is no more than about 2m. You may have to cut a slit trench to lower the pipe apex.

When suction is achieved, keeping the inlet submerged, remove the pump (it should just pull off) and attach a strainer made from a pierced drinks bottle to keep the inlet clear of sediment. You may also find that a reducer on the outlet will help keep the syphon full and running if the flow low.

I hope this helps

MARK

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thanks for that info, will certainly be taking that on board with another 'local' dig project.

In this case however, I very much doubt its worth it due to the amount of literature pointing towards it being a failed trial.

The pemberton no1 2 and 3 are way off target for this spot, howver, im now curious to know what the 1, 2 and 3 relate too?

the iron and coal pits of consett iron company were numbered like this in the early days but they were no-where near here.

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