I believe the visible mine passages in the cliff behind Matlock Sainsburys were discussed on UKCaving a while ago and someone had explored them whilst working on sheeting over the cliff with wire mesh.

They look inaccessible now due to the mesh, I'm sure I remember them being visible from the road before Sainsbury's was built.

Anyone know anything more/been in in the past?

I've been told none of them go very far these days, though I've not been in myself and I'm kicking myself for not having a look before the supermarket was built!

I'd say they were inaccessible due to being very public rather than being meshed over......

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Do you get Nectar points if you go in?

Sorry, couldn't resist, I will shut the door on the way out!

They are on the line of of the Seven Rakes lead mine title.

When the Planning Application was made for the Sainsbury Supermarket to be built in Megdale/Cawdor quarries, Tim (my caving son) and me attended the public inspection of the application in the Imperial Rooms, Matlock because I knew that a sough draining Severn Rakes mine flowed beneath the quarry floor. I wasn't objecting to the plans but I wanted the architects to be aware of the sough so that they could design the foundations to accommodate the sough and not block it, otherwise there could have been a replication of the magpie sough blockage and subsequent blow out that occurred in the 1960's. Other cavers and a geologist also went to see the plans and spoke of their concerns about blocking the sough, so it wasn't just us.

From memory (and this is about the early 1950's when many of you weren't even born!) around where the Supermarket was planned to be built in Megdale quarry (I left Matlock before it was eventually built), was sited Derbyshire Stone's crushing plant where all the stone (which included limestone, fluorspar, calcite, barytes, lead etc.) from the Opencast working on the top of Masson was brought in lorries down Salter's Lane (anyone knowing Salter's Lane would be horrified today with such traffic using that route) to the shute of the crushing plant, the entrance to which had a curtain of thick anchor chains, this controlled the flow of the stone into the crushing plant. There was also a laboratory and floatation plant nearby as well. There were levels in the quarry face we tried poking into them but they didn't go far, however, through holes in the quarry floor the sough could be seen flowing out to it's tail on the River Derwent. We didn't try to access it as in those early days we hadn't got around to exploring soughs, the craze didn't bite us until the late 1950's.

To locate Seven Rakes, drive up Snitterton Road from the A6 at Matlock Bridge and take the first turn left into Salters Lane (the old salt route that goes from Cheshire eastwards to Chesterfield and beyond) to Bonsall, shortly uphill the lane turns a right angle up the hill to Bonsall, and at that point the private road to Greenhills Farm goes straight ahead. This portion between Snitterton Road and the Greenhills Farm private road is the line of Seven Rakes. If you can manage to park safely, look down the hill over the quarry and that is the line of the sough. Incidently there was a shaft in the wood behind the property called "Daffodils", situated on the boundary of the garden and Salters Lane, it was on the right of the of road just as one started to climb to Bonsall. It was found when a spar miner from Bonsall opencasted the garden for spar in about 1979. Looking down into it, a level led off beneath Salters Lane in the direction of Greenhills Farm and Seven Rakes. It wasn't explored as it was quickly covered over, but I did manage to take a photograph of it. So there must be small workings all over that area.

The following notes are extracted from Jim Rieuwerts book "History & Gazetteer of the Lead Mine Soughs of Derbyshire" published 1987.

"Figure 17 on page 83 shews the location of the line of the sough, Jim names it as "Cawdor Level".
pp 86 - 87
(c) SEVEN RAKES, CAWDOR AND NORTH MASSON MINES

The mines and soughs were worked in strata from the Cawdor Limestone close to the base of the shales, down to the Matlock Lower Lava. The beds dip towards the north east at between 10 to 25 degrees but there are minor folds and flexures causing steepening. The Seven Rakes is a fracture zone with, as its name implies, seven mineralised veins or scrins. It was of no importance in the 17th century and it is suprising that no major drainage level was driven into it from the southern end where it crosses the Derwent although an early 18th century sough was excavated for a short distance in the closely parallel Ringing Rake before being abandoned in poorly mineralised ground benearth the Matlock Upper Lava. During the 1740-50 period Masson Sough, a long crosscut "coffin level" was driven beneath the lava to unwater the lower, north eastern range of Gentlewomans Pipe.

Yet another river operated water sheel supposedly drained the southern end of Seven Rakes, at a locality known as the Dick Eye. The wheel, installed about 1768, may in fact have drained Raddle Hole Vein on the opposite side of the river, there being no evidence of a level where Seven Rakes crosses the Derwent at Dick Eye. Seven Rakes was worked beneath the Matlock Upper Lava by means of a Newcomen pumping engine installed in 1802. Ore was also obtained from the Matlock Upper Lava. Little is known of the venture, the engine being sold about 1815. The pre 19th century history of the northern section of Seven Rakes is obscure except that sough, Cawdor Level, had been driven southwards from the Derwent, possibly about 1800 in the limestones above the Upper Lava. In 1839 the southern and northern portions of the vein were consolidated into one title and two steam pumping engines situated at the northern extremity of the vein by the riverside allowed exploitation of the vein to considerable depth. The second engine was the 70 inch side level Cornish engine purchased from Watergrove Mine in 1853, the pumping shaft being nearly 300 feet deep. The engine and plant were offered for sale in 1861, unfortunately its ultimate fate is unknown".

Trust this helps. Please tell me to shut up if I'm boring you!

Trust this helps. Please tell me to shut up if I'm boring you!

By no means would we ever ask you to shut up, I always enjoy reading your posts, just like Nellie K, you are a mind of very useful information, all of which will become essential to future mining historians, :flowers:

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I second that... once again Sougher you just solved a bunch of mini mysteries... thanx 🙂

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Brilliant :thumbup:

Fascinating stuff, a shame it was never explored 😞

Brakeman - Thank you 😞

Sorry but in my earlier posting I omitted further references from Jim's book, these are as follows:-

"Page 88

(Dick Eye Pumpway) untraced
A water wheel was erected in 1768 at the riverside but there is conflicting evidence whether it drained Seven Rakes Vein or Raddle Hole Vein on the opposite side of the river.

(Seven Rakes Sough) untraced
Logically a sough should have been driven northwards along Seven Rakes from the riverside. No trace of such a level now exists, but a Barmaster's map has the words "Seven Rakes Sough" written in pencil in this position.

HOLT LEVEL 197.598, open
The level drained the Robin Hood Vein and may have served as a pumpway for the Newcomen engine installed at Seven Rakes Deep shaft about 1802. Certainy the level, first recorded in 1810, was used by the Seven Rakes Mine before 1817.

CAWDOR LEVEL, SEVEN RAKES LEVEL
2945.604, open
Recorded only in March 1839, but it was probably substanially complete by that date. Driven southwardly from the Derwent along Seven Rakes Vein probably to Tipping Shaft(#) at Salters Lane, a distance of 1,400 feet. Until 1839 the northern range of the vein was a separate mining title to the remainder hence the existence of this sough. Driven in limestone, mostly along the top of the Matlock Upper Lava".

(#) My comment - 'Tipping' shaft, could this in fact be the concealed shaft uncovered during opencast sparring in 1979 that I took a photograph of before it was filled in? The measurements would seem to fit. Will try and find this photo.
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Another vague reference to that area is given in an old Derbyshire Guide Book, given to me by a very dear caving mate (sadly now deceased) with whom I shared many happy adventures. It is entitled "On Foot Through the Peak; or A Summer Saunter Among the Hills and Dales of Derbyshire" by James Croston, 2nd Edition, Published John Heywood 1868.

Pages 215-216 (n.b. The author was walking southwards down the west bank of the River Derwent from Oaker Hill to Matlock pre 1868 as this was the date of the second edition of the book. This was years before Cawdor Quarry was opened up and worked, so it would have been completely different scenery then compared to the present day).

"The sun, now circling towards the west , reminds us that it is time to depart; descending rapidly by the opposite side of the hill, we come to a farmhouse, and then follow a footpath across the fields, which brings us to the brink of the Derwent[*1], here a wide and impetuous cuurent that pursues its busy way between sloping meadows and pastures, oftentimes hidden from view by the overhanging oaks and alders which grow upon its banks. Presently the river inclines towards the east, and we make a short cut across a pasture field and meet it again at a point nearly opposite the Moot Hall mine, an old working which is said to be more productive of iron pyrites or sulphate of iron than lead ore.

Keeping the right bank of the river, we proceed along a pleasant path where the trees border the way and in some places meet overhead. Now and then we get pretty bits of rugged scenery, where the rocks rise up on one side, grey and lichened, and overgrown with brambles and wild roses; then we pass beneath the railway, which here crosses the river by a flat and extremely ugly-looking girder bridge[*2]; beyond which the road is continued for some distance between the river and the railway. By and by we come to the May Dale mine [*3] where an opportunity is afforded us of seeing the process of sorting, washing and grinding the ore preparatory to its being sent to the smelting furnace; heaps of refuse are lying about, among which may be found specimens of calcareous and crystallized spar, some purely white, and others veined in different colours, chiefly yellow and pea-green.[*4] The road still continues along the side of the river, and in a few minutes we come upon the highway at Matlock Bridge, a fine structure of four arches spanning the Derwent"

* My comments:-
*1. Somewhere about here where the footpath meets the River Derwent is found the Orchard Sough Tail which dewaters the Orchard Mine at Snitterton. Jim Rieuwerts describes it as an "open bolt", but it is a cut and cover sough tail. This venture appears to have been a bit of a "con" when one reads the Barmaster's Book entries for the mine, to my mind a quick way for the mine proprietors to get partners to invest their money and to loose it! Jim's Book gives the following reference for Orchard Sough:-

"page 83
ORCHARD SOUGH, SNITTERTON SOUGH,
281.607, open bolt
A mid 19th century attempt to develop the Oxclose Mines, but difficult to establish why the level was begun as it would have reached these mines much the same contour as Oxclose Sough. Excavated through shale and limestone it was abandoned after a drive of 1,900 feet and some 1,000 feet short of Oxclose Pipe. Begun in 1858, abandoned about 1861".

*2. This is the location of the sough tail of the Oxclose/Snickers Sough.

*3. I think May Dale was the old name for Meg Dale but I've no proof. However, in all probability this seems to be the site of the Seven Rakes Consoldidated Title where the ore was perhaps crushed, buddled, and graded ready for despatch to the smelt.

*4. Locally the term "spar" was used to cover most minerals that came out of the vein with the lead, i.e. calcite, fluorspar, barytes etc. especially if in crystal form. Under the lead laws of the Barmote Court, only lead could be mined and sold, no other mineral which accounts for all the "spar" that the author saw lying around on the surface at the "May Dale" mine. Regarding the colours of the spar, fluorspar on Masson tends to be yellow, at Ball Eye, Bonsall and Slinter Wood, Cromford one finds green, and at Ashover the fluorspar tends to be pink.

within the garden / apple-trees of the property inside 'the bend' at snitterton is a grated well on inspection when i was fitting their shower-room, i peered down and there's a strong water-course at the bottom. Could this be that sough? 53.140043,-1.582976 on google maps.
access was no problem, but stupidly tight.
Ric'

Thanks for all this Sougher, it makes for fascinating reading although I've too much on the go on my "home turf" for any serious exploration in this area! Cawdor sough is still flowing AFAIK and a friend of mine went up it in recent years, although it may have been gated since the building of Sainsburys.

It's a shame vol.3 of Jim's book has been delayed due to Landmark's collapse, as this would cover this area and significantly update what's in the 1987 book. Oh well, just have to keep waiting......

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owd git - Re your query about Orchard Sough, Snitterton. Yes, I know the property you mention, in all probability the flowing water at the base of the gated well you mention could be Orchard Sough, in fact could this be an air shaft on the sough and not a well? Orchard mine hillocks are a little further along the road towards Brookvale (where Pollyanna Pickering the artist lives). You know the road (called by locals "the Burma Road" because it was built by Derbyshire Stone Limited during WW2 at the same time as the real Burma Road road was built by Allied Forces as a supply line to China) that exits from the quarry onto the Snitterton/Oker road, well there is a large hillock on the side of the "Burma Road" entrance, also a hillock (from memory didn't it have a bee hive cap?) almost opposite in a field by Manor Farm, I was told that this is Orchard Mine. I will look up the entries I typed from the Matlock Barmaster's book for Orchard mine and start a new topic on the forum, as it makes very interesting reading. To my mind someone was out to make some quick money! A tiny minute "South Sea Bubble"!

AR - What is the latest news concerning Vol. 3 of Jim's books? Has he found another publisher yet, or do you know what is happening? I am sure that there are a lot more people than myself interested in this information.

I have had further thoughts concerning Cawdor Level and "Tipping Shaft". Remembering the hugh amount of spar that was removed from the "Daffodils" garden, I wondered at the time where it had come from, the spar miner who removed it (Keith Mellor from Bonsall) had no knowledge of its source.
This must be the "Tipping Shaft" as under the Barmote Court laws only the lead would have been removed from what was mined and brought to the surface, the remaining minerals would have been left on the surface and there was a hugh amount of spar/spoil removed. From memory it was only a small depth to the level that ran from the shaft, beneath Salters Lane in the direction of Greenhills Farm, perhaps there was another winze off that level! An interesting bit of research for someone sometime studying the Seven Rakes Vein. I just hope that Salters Lane never subsides and collapses into the level!

Jim didn't mention anything about the next volume of the book when I last saw him, so I assume it's still in abeyance....

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I thought that someone (and especially PDHMS) would have been ready to dive into mine workings as they became accessible - but maybe that is what everyone thought! Can't help wondering about the visible workings each time I pass - as others obviously do. What were the two big, square levels north of the approach roads?
Anyone looked in the quarry that recently became "accessible" on the right, heading south before Artists Corner?
There was another 1960's story about going in one place and coming out near the railway station (assumed to be Matlock, possibly Matlock Bath) - any ideas?
There was so much activity, so close to Matlock Bridge and the town centre (be interesting to check dates of development though). One of the Cawdor engines was built by Graham's of Elsecar, suppliers of waterwheels, water pressure engines and steam engines to a number of Peak District mines (including Mandale). I have mentioned it before - one of Graham's engines is still in working order and still pumping water (but not from a mine) just down the road near Cromford. This engine and pump, the Leawood Pump, was only installed as a result of mining activity, not to enable it - part of an interesting story. It provides a good opportunity now to see a Cornish Engine working and to marvel at how such engines were transported and installed.

The two big entrances were an old powder magazine. There used to be a few like that around once.
It is just like a layby in the face that had two doors on. Nice and cool for storage.

PDMHS have done a fair bit. With my friends, I surveyed about 100,000 feet of passages during the 1970s. Many of these surveys were published.
The connection mentioned by Thrutch from near the railway station probably refers to the workings on Station Quarry Vein at Matlock Bath. These were worked under the name of Moletrap Veins prior to the 1840s. After that date, the name Moletrap was applied to Bullestree Mine near Cromford Railway Station, causing much confusion.
There is well-documented evidence that workings led along Jackdaw Vein from the near the north end of Lover’s Walks through a coffin gate to the quarry near Matlock Bath Station. There is a good account of this in the manuscripts left to me by the late Cyril Maddocks. I examined the exact supposed location of the supposed entrance point a few years ago but there is no obvious sign of it. A dig there would be highly speculative and unpopular with the local council that owns Lover’s Walks. My old surveying colleague John Swain said that he had once entered these workings before I knew him but he did not go far into them.
If anyone can provide any details from their own exploration of this, I would be very interested to hear from them. The draft of my book on the Matlock area mines has reached about 180,000 words with over 3,000 source notes. Any contributions will be carefully acknowledged. There is still so much to be learnt.
The Seven Rakes Sough in Cawdor Quarry was explored by Lynn Willies and others a few years ago after I discovered it was still open and threatened by the supermarket development – see Willies, Lynn, 2005. Cawdor Sough, Matlock – A Failed Exploration Attempt. P.D.M.H.S. Newsletter No 115 pp5-6. As the title suggests, it was soon blocked.
This and other nearby soughs, such as Orchard, are also documented in Oakman, Colin, 1979. The Sough Hydrology of the Wirksworth-Matlock-Youlgreave area. M. Phil. thesis. Leicester University.

Hi, I'm Matlock Bath based, for a grid ref i'll photo etc'.(i find google maps zoomed as far as poss gives a good reference point.)
and,have "accidently" found my way into the workings behind the shooting range /railway cutt, would these be the same?
didnt go too far in as it was flooded at the time, bet it's not now :angel:
Owd Git.

We do tend to concentrate on the mines to the West of the river and maybe not pay enough attention to those to the East?
I recall a mention, many years ago, from a very reliable source, of dropping into something and walking for a long way - ?Bullestree Mine or another? More recently I was told that a climber had entered some workings which appeared extensive - a trip was proposed but a date never fixed (abseil from cliff top required).
Is it Bullestree Mine shaft top that I pass on my way up Willersley Road?
Obvious remains of old workings in the field above Lover's Walks too.
As historytrog says - There is still much to be learnt

Around 1979, we entered the Bullestree workings via a small climbing shaft whilst researching for Dresser Minerals. The shaft was taking sewage and full of nasty worms but we did get into a small amount of interesting workings that connected with the backfilled Bullestree shaft (the one by the side of the Willersley road). Also, and this may be the source of the rumour, we found a small slit that went to the OUTSIDE of the lining of the railway tunnel. We found it by being frightened by sudden heavy vibration and noise! Sadly there was no connection with the tunnel for an easy way in.
The climbing shaft was in a bad state then and I have never returned since - must get around to it.....

The barmaster's map for the area seems to show the Bullestree workings being cut by the railway tunnel and I seem to remember reading somewhere that there was a dispute between the miners and the railway when it was being driven. I've had a look for the sough tail in the past but couldn't see anything where the barmaster's map places it so I'm guessing it's been sealed up.

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After we had explored and were covered in sewage we washed off in the river below and being in wet suits could grovel along the bank looking. There was nothing at all obvious but it was complicated by land drains as well I seem to remember.