Peter,

Indeed, from a technical standpoint the need to pump would probably be the
main problem in terms of operating costs, assuming access was retained to
the lower levels. In reality there would not be much that would be safe to
see down there as the recent mining was done by retreat open stoping,
leaving some very rough unsupported open stopes behind. These would need to
be resupported fully before they would be safe to access, at a probably
quite horrible cost. Also, it would be somewhat impractical to take tourists
down there - the Frazers decline is a LONG walk and the shaft would need to
be very substantially upgraded - the cage is good for about six people at a
squeeze and the winder, at least in 1991, was not Markham legislation
compliant. (winder legislation introduced after the Markham disaster in, I
think, the 1970's).

However, there are some near-surface workings - various very old workings
that may be accessible from the old incline by the main shaft at Grove Rake
and/or from the Frazers Hush decline, about half a mile to the west. Also,
the Greencleugh decline was opened up somewhat further to the west in about
1992 and was almost on surface - holed into lots of old stuff.

There's no modern process plant there either, as all the ore was trucked to
Frosterley and was put through the plant at Cambokeels (the mine there
closed in 1991). Actually, Cambokeels might be a better idea as it had/has
adit access - and a large car park by the plant!. The most impressive aspect
of Frazers Grove which remains, apart from the sheer remoteness of the site,
is in my view the two shafts (the newer ex BSC one and the small one) and
associated infrastructure. These and the workshops and so on would be a
severe loss in terms of interpretation, in my view, if it were to be cleared
in the thorough way that the other recent mines in the area have been. There
would need to be some tidying though - the amount of scrap lying around has
to be seen to be believed.

I suppose the most severe problem would be that any new mining tourism
venture in the Weardale area would be in competition with Kilhope (and its
plastic stopes!!), Nenthead, etc.

Best regards,
Martin Potts




> > Frazers I used to know quite well
> >and it is absolutely classic hard rock mining as it used to be. Is there
any
> >serious interest or will these be levelled as effectively as most other
> >recent mine closures?
> >
> >It seems bizarre to me to be fascinated by the remains of 16th or 19th
> >century mines yet to stand by and let these more recent operations
> >completely vanish - which they will do very rapidly.
>
> I would agree that we should be interested in recent hard rock mining but,
> with the underground operations being the most interesting feature of such
> mines, are we talking about maintaining access through continued drainage
of
> workings below the water table?
>
> As regards the surface operations - the Americans have managed to preserve
> the milling operation at Silverton, Colorado and such a scheme might be
> possible for surface features in the UK given generosity on the part of
the
> mine owners, co-operation on the part of the local planners and the
> committment in resources, particularly time, by local interest groups. Go
to
> America's Mining Heritage - http://www.cr.nps.gov/crm - and look at Volume
> 21, No.7 (1998), Beverly Rich, The Mayflower Mill - Reclamation and
Re-use,
> for details of the American experience.
>
> Much depends on the local authorities' concept of landscape in areas
> increasingly dependent on tourism as a major source of income.
>
> Peter
>
>
> ______________________________________________
>
> Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, Rosebush, Clynderwen,
> Pembrokeshire, Wales  SA66 7RE.
> Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 0831 427599
>
> University of Exeter - Department of History
> School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
> E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>
> Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
> See http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/mining-history/  for details.
>
> Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
>
> _____________________________________________
>
>



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