Friday 29 October 2010

RSPB Geltsdale, New venture drift/Howgill collery and Forest head lime works

 

New venture drift -wast tip

"Howgill Colliery - Another early Thompson project was the Howgill Colliery which was a drift connected to the Blacksyke Branch near Forest Head. Howgill was closed in 1880 but sections of it were worked many decades later to help boost the dwindling coal resources. In 1919 the Naworth Coal Company was again considering fresh mining activities closec to the old Howgill Colliery and the Venture drift was reopened beside the Gairs Branch south of Forest Head which entered the Howgill seam this was called the New Venture Drift. At its peak in 1923 it employed 46 below ground and 16 on the surface and finally closed in 1934".
taken from http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html


pipes from the mine -these are used to vent gases from tunnels
entrance to the drift mine  -taken from the top of the drift entrance


we heard  water which sounded like it was from a  hollow tunnel -one of the other entrances to the drift mine!


railway cutting  to Gains colliery  disused  

a wall - look carefully a pipe !
a pipe to fill the water tank in the  steam trains ?
a water tank - pipe to the railway cutting  + valve found to control the water flow
a rainbow 

capped mine shaft
mine waste tip
red lichen flower found on mine waste tip

forest head lime works,


very windy and wet on the ground


lime kilns

info about Lime Kiln's

inside a lime kiln


mine ?
Railway loading bay


railway cutting disused

lime kiln waste
kirkhouse brick

RSPB Geltsdale -back at last 

Weather: very wet ,windy high chill factor very strong winds which were very gusty visibility generally good  though, very tiring to be out and about on the high fells so we kept to the lowland parts , we will come back to this area.

Links to local area 



Local places to shop 



local photo 

route 



1 comment:

  1. That looked like a wet walk! But the lime kiln looks fascinating! I never would have known what that was. Now I do :D

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