Hi,
    just a few comments on trying to protect mining artifacts from the
vandals & scrap men, not to mention mining memorabilia & mineral collectors.
Having been through this at the Geevor Tin Mine site, during its transition
from working mine to heritage site.

It is virtually impossible to stop these people,  the only way at times is
having to resort to physically removing them from the site. The police are
not a lot of help either, depending on the views of the officers that turn
up. Some will tell you to take the offender around the corner & give them a
good beating (using sufficient force to restrain is the official term) then
call the police, while other officers will inform you that by merely having
a pick hilt with you (which is a tool in the mining world) that you are
indeed carrying an offensive weapon.

This is how the steam winding engine at Geevor Victory shaft is still
there!!

Putting obstacles in the way also does not work, I used blocks of concrete
approx 1.5M x 1.5M x 1.5M, which were easily moved by the scrap men's truck
/ hi-hab.  A better solution is to dig deep ditches, as these are more
difficult to negotiate.
The Geevor site was particularly difficult to protect, as it was traversed
by several public rights-of-way. I have apprehended persons (ostensibly
"just walking through") but carrying with them, wrecking bar, saw & an
axe.....

Locked steel gates / steel posts with reversed hinges (so that is impossible
to lift the gates off the hinges) also no real obstacle to the gas cutting
torch. (I came to work one morning to find the gates cut off the hinges &
laying flat on the ground, the scrap men's truck having driven over the top
of them to gain access to the large power cables from the substation to the
Victory shaft winder (all in cable trenches & easy to remove).

A good way to stop / catch the offenders if you happen to detect them on a
site is to first let down all the tires of their vehicle (if you can get
close enough without being seen) then call the police; so that the offenders
can be caught red handed, but even then the police are very reluctant to
want to take  action.

Even having a night watchman is no guarantee against vandalism, as one man
on a large site cannot be everywhere.

This is indeed a difficult problem for disused industrial sites, as there is
often little or no funding. Listing is only a protection from respectable
operators, it is no use what ever against the cowboy scrap men as they can
be in on site, cut up a piece of equipment & be away very quickly. But by
then the damage is done, as it is extremely unlikely that it will be found,
& even if it is the way in which scrap men cut things up is not the same as
if an engineer is cutting something to expedite its dismantling for removal
/ re-erection purposes.

I think that one of the best approaches is to try and tidy up the site,
treat / paint steel work & other structures, replace broken glass & give the
site a used / cared for look.

Bob.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Simon Chapman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2005 6:13 AM
Subject: Groverake mine


> I suggest the headgear remaining should legally protected by Listing and
> suitable physical obstacles put in the way of road access to the site to
> make it as difficult as possible to get unauthorised motor vehicles
anywhere
> near it. In addition a programme of maintenance of the headgear by local
> authority and/or local heritage organisations would need to be arranged.
>
> Without even referring to Adrian Pearce's list, other remaining headgears
in
> Co. Durham include the wooden one at Beamish Open Air Museum (NZ 219 543),
> steel at Washington F Pit Museum (NZ 302 574) and another steel one at
North
> Dalton water pumping station (NZ 408 477).
>
> During the 1990's I managed to get the historic Keope winding tower of
1922
> at Murton Colliery preserved by Listing. Unfortunately Easington District
> Council didn't quite agree, being afraid that the retention of such a
> feature from the bad old past might deter new job opportunities, so it was
> de-Listed and demolished. Now the site is grassed over and empty while
> nearby Dalton Park shopping extravaganda occupies the site of the former
pit
> heap.
>
> A headgear is a rare feature in Britain now, we should do our best to keep
> the few we have left.
>
> Simon.
>
>
>
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