BOOK REVIEW
BRITISH SMALL MINES (SOUTH) 2 by A J Booth 2001 96 pp, 124 photos, 28
maps. Price £15.00. I got my copy from Mike Moore. email:
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What is a railway society doing, publishing a mining book? Well, all
these mines have one thing in common. They have a narrow gauge railway,
or to be precise, a tramway. It might only be 100 yards long on the
surface, but afficionados from all over the country have come, not to
collect train numbers, but to measure and photograph these final remnants of
the iron horse.
Since 1980 Adrian Booth has been visiting and photographing mines all
over England and Wales. In 1995 and 1997 he published two books on the
coal mines of South Wales and the year 2000 saw the publication of
British Small Mines (North). This current volume, number four and
regrettably the last in the series covers an area south of an imaginary
line drawn between the Humber and the Wash. This book details a further
28 mines, all with NGR, description, type of coal or minerals mined,
method of haulage etc. Little is ever published about these small mines
and all the information herein, such as mine histories, details of coal
seams, methods of working, track gauges etc has been gleaned by the time
honoured method of gaffering. The author has talked to mine owners,
workmen and local people and so this book is intersperse with many
anecdotes.
These mines were full of character, from the gold mines of Dolgellau, the
slate mine at Aberllefenni to the coal mines of the Forest of Dean,
whilst the majority of mines are to be found in and around Derbyshire.
These include coal, spar, fluorspar, fireclay
Already, many of the photos are of great historical interest as numerous
mines have been razed to the ground. A valuable pictorial archive for
many years to come.
TO
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