Stoney Middleton Aragonite Mine - Pete Knight

Pete Knight & Beth Knight

I was idly browsing the trip reports on this forum looking for some info on Hanging Flat mine in Stoney Dale when I came across a report by Alan Brentnall from 2016: https://www.tsgcaving.co.uk/content/Trip-Reports/stoney-middleton-alan-brentnall

The report made mention of a WW2 aragonite mine above the small caves on the southern side of the Dale near the Horseshoe Quarry parking area.

Alan sent me some details and rough description of where I might find the mine. He had also found a excerpt from Mark Cope's "Stoney Middleton Dale Audit". Page 34 describes this area of Dale-Side below Burnt Heath, but the only possible reference to this mine is "There is also an extensive mine system located on White Rake at the top of the Dale-Side. Surviving fluorspar deposits in the mine entrance clearly demonstrate the relationship between mineral veins and mining in the Dale (Plate 87). The mine levels are unstable and contain false floors and major collapses."

With a spare few hours and a willing wife, I went in search of the aragonite mine today. I thought I'd record something here for future reference as there is nothing I can find online apart from Alan's original report. Well, we found it.

After a bit of a slog through nettles at 45 degrees we found the hole. Across from the small quarry where Hobbit Hole can be found on the north side of the Dale is a stairway up to a small quarry building. Immediately up the dale, and slightly higher than the building, is Paracetam Ole. Head straight up from here and trend right until you encounter a wide cutting in the limestone. The entrance is here and you are approx. 50m from Paracetam Ole. Unmistakably modern workings judging by the size. There has been significant fall of rock around the entrance and inside the mine, but we've been in far worse ;). As you enter the mine, the passage is around 3m high and 2m wide. There is a lot of loose rock on the floor and a bit left on the walls and roof. After approx. 20m, there is a need to scramble over a muddy pile of collapse material that seems to have originated from a natural looking hole in the roof. This is only just doable in normal walking gear without getting filthy.

Around 15 or 20m further in and you arrive at some stacked deads on the right wall and a total blockage ahead. This is blocked by fallen rock and mud, the level does continue. I suspect the open passage we followed is actually above the original haulage horizon by a metre or 2 as there was evidence that the material we were walking along was once held up on roof props. The run-in at the end looked very diggable with loads of stacking space.

Located approx SK 20567 76279 but the sat nav was not liking the tree cover in the Dale. Approx length of 40m. No height gain or loss.

In the roof throughout the whole mine was a 2 foot wide vein of calcite. Aragonite is a calcite mineral, but I would expect this was being mined for the calcite, so a 'Spar Mine' instead of Aragonite Mine might be the better description. Apparently this was part of White Rake.

We also did a lap of the Dale from Horseshoe Quarry, past Streaks and some interesting digs and round to Horse Thief Quarry. From here we moved back up to the old buildings with Frog Hole and Hobbit Hole, before crossing the road to find this mine described above. I can't find any reference to Frog Hole, which is definitely what it is called as it is inscribed on the rock. It's just behind where the old car used to be hidden behind the small building.

 

Beth Knight at the entrance. Photo Copyright © Pete Knight.

 

Beth Knight leaving the mine. Photo Copyright © Pete Knight.