Dear Colleagues
It is a sad state of affairs when we have to turn our monuments into
fortresses to protect them from our own people! I can't think of
anywhere else in Europe where this is the case.
Several people have suggested listing as a means of protection. While
this will give the monument some legal protection, it will not give a
guarantee that vandals (and I include unscrupulous scrap-dealers and
other chancers) will eventually render the site useless.
There are two options as I see it:
1. Turn the site into a museum or heritage centre (God how I hate that
word!!). This could act as a focus for the local community as well as
serving as a visitor attraction thereby generating a little income to
off-set the cost of protection. The North of England once had a thriving
and extensive fluorspar mining industry and we should seek to
commemorate it and preserve whatever is left.
2. Remove the whole structure and transfer it to another site - such as
Beamish - where it can receive full-time protection and conservation.
Neither of these two options are cheap. However, it is a question of how
much we value our industrial heritage and how much we are prepared to
preserve it.
Peter Davidson
Curator of Minerals
Department of Natural Sciences
National Museums of Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1JF
Scotland
Tel: 00 44 131 247 4283
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Ian Forbes
Sent: 16 July 2005 17:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Groverake Mine
Many members of the list in Britain will be familiar with Groverake
(latterly Frazers Grove) mine at Rookhope in County Durham. This was
the
last commercial fluorspar mine in the North Pennine orefield which
closed
a few years ago. Since closure the mine has been standing, and has
suffered intermittently from the attention of scrap dealers. The mine
had two shafts, each with its own headframe. The smaller of the two
headframes was built on site for the mine, the larger one came
originally
from a pit in County Durham. The mine is a distinctive landmark in a
rural location, and the headframes have been a very visible reminder of
the fluorspar industry.
About two weeks ago the smaller of the two headframes was stolen. It
was
cut down and removed by scrap dealers. Although people have been
arrested, the damage is done, and the headgear gone.
The mine owner would like to see the second of the headframes remain on
the site as a reminder of a vanished industry, but is beginning to think
that he will have to remove it.
This is the last headgear (as far as I know) in the whole of County
Durham.
What do list members think should be done?
Ian
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