Just an official notice that the new Castleton mines book by Dr. Jim Rieuwerts and myself is now out, designed and published by Peter Miles at Hucklow Publishing.

Titled The Castleton Mines - A Descriptive and Visual History (ISBN: 978-0-9563473-6-7), the limited edition book details the various mines and mining enterprises in the Castleton Liberty from the 16th to late 19th Centuries, with research culled from Barmaster's records and numerous archive sources. Both lead and Blue John mining are covered in this fascinating volume.

The 132-page book is full-colour throughout, and is richly illustrated with my underground photographs of all the major mine sites in the area, and with particular attention given to the varied and previously under-documented workings in Speedwell Mine. The book also features many other illustrations, maps and diagrams and rare historical photographs of great interest, as well as photographs by the late Paul Deakin.

For more information see:

http://www.pwhole.com/castleton.htm   

I can obviously fulfil personal collections at the TSG Chapel Works, or in Sheffield if preferable.

Just ordered mine.

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Looks interesting, just ordered a copy, I'd like to see more of the older Derbyshire mines.:thumbup:

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As there's no 'Peak Cavern' mine site listed here (and I guess there's not much need), here's a few photos of mining traces in the cave, one or two of which appeared in the book:

Possible trial outside the entrance:

🔗105779[linkphoto]105779[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗105780[linkphoto]105780[/linkphoto][/link]

Miner's Shothole in Devil's Cellar Passage:

🔗105781[linkphoto]105781[/linkphoto][/link]

Worked-out Vein, Roger Rains House:

🔗105782[linkphoto]105782[/linkphoto][/link]

Pickwork in Vein beneath the Orchestra Gallery, Roger Rains House:

🔗105778[linkphoto]105778[/linkphoto][/link]

Miner's Shothole in Vein beneath the Orchestra Gallery, Roger Rains House:

🔗105777[linkphoto]105777[/linkphoto][/link]

Miner's Shotholes and Enlarged Roof, Buxton Water Sump:

🔗105783[linkphoto]105783[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗105784[linkphoto]105784[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗105785[linkphoto]105785[/linkphoto][/link]

Elias Pedley Graffiti, Devil's Staircase:

🔗105775[linkphoto]105775[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗105776[linkphoto]105776[/linkphoto][/link]

http://www.pdmhs.com/docs/default-source/bulletins/bulletin-12-2/bulletin-12-2---elias-pedley-a-castleton-lead-miner-and-hi.pdf 

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http://www.pdmhs.com/docs/default-source/bulletins/bulletin-12-2/bulletin-12-2---elias-pedley-a-castleton-lead-miner-and-hi.pdf 

Interesting read - :flowers:

Got mine yesterday. Great book.

I nearly fell off my chair when Irene, the guide at Peak Cavern, told me about the Elias Pedley graffiti - she had no idea who he was, and we had no idea it was there! I had a great trip into Peak last week with Jim Rieuwerts, who hasn't been in for literally years, to see this, and the few other bits and bobs I've found. Lumbago Walk certainly lived up to its name on this occasion!

But it was nice to see Jim enjoying himself underground again, and for him to see all this, though I wish we'd known about it before we finished the book, but that's always the way. Typically, a group of schoolchildren arrived at the terminus just as I was photographing the graffiti, and Jim was inevitably pressed into giving an impromptu lecture on the history of Elias Pedley - for seven year-olds!

Needless to say they have a bit more useful information for the tour now too, so benefits all round 😉

I nearly fell off my chair when Irene, the guide at Peak Cavern, told me about the Elias Pedley graffiti - she had no idea who he was, and we had no idea it was there! I had a great trip into Peak last week with Jim Rieuwerts, who hasn't been in for literally years, to see this, and the few other bits and bobs I've found. Lumbago Walk certainly lived up to its name on this occasion!

But it was nice to see Jim enjoying himself underground again, and for him to see all this, though I wish we'd known about it before we finished the book, but that's always the way. Typically, a group of schoolchildren arrived at the terminus just as I was photographing the graffiti, and Jim was inevitably pressed into giving an impromptu lecture on the history of Elias Pedley - for seven year-olds!

Needless to say they have a bit more useful information for the tour now too, so benefits all round ;)

The best way to unearth new information is to publish a book on the subject! After my Devon Great Consols book was published several people came up to be with the opening line "if I'd known you were interested......."

The late John Beck used to joke that publishing a new edition of Caves of the Peak District would immediately lead to a major new discovery somewhere in the area...

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