James has been taking as many photos as possible before the mine closes, with the result that, with luck, there will be more information about the mine, and possibly the area, which has had several mines.
Bankfoot
Peter climbing up an upthrow fault at 1st south.
Powered Roof Supports (PRS) or as we call them chocks. They weigh about 6.5 tons including the boogies they travel on to each new face. It is a major operation putting them back onto the way when they come off but we have become experts at it. These photos show the installation of the new face.
Peter at the controls of an old Samson machine which has not been used for some time. It was not up to much when it was working being far too clumsy. The machine was originally from Boulby pot ash mine, the deepest in Europe.
Byron Pit
To the left Byron Pit as it was. Above Byron Pit's derelict haulage beds
Byron pit with Greenhead just in the distance. If you notice the church in the background (owned by the Joicey family who own Blenkinsopp estates) the church was built with a Saxon style steeple. Joiceys put a spire onto this at some time. Rumour goes that captain Joicey had a horse buried here which was killed in the first world war in France!
As I have said this was a sister pit to Blenkinsopp and they are not very far apart. They both worked the same little limestone seam. You can still see where the wheels have been rubbing up the sides. My wife showed me where the entrance to Byron was when we first started courting and you could still mange to get so far in till you were met by a block wall. Byron had a similar entrance to the one at Blenkinsopp with a stone arch drift which is a work of art. Sadly however the drift entrance has been either bulldozed over of maybe just backfilled (I hope). I am having trouble finding it again but I know diggers have been in. I think all this came about after a shooting party lost one of there dogs down a shaft. They managed to get it out OK but because children could hurt themselves it was decided to fill all the shafts and drifts up which I suppose is reasonable.
