Welcome We are an active group of people interested in the exploration and study of mines and caves in Britain, Europe and ... well anywhere actually!
For contact details, membership form and to find out more visit our About Us page
We support the Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation (MCRO)
Club Chairman Neal Rushton about to lead a trip into Landing Level, Snailbeach.
The Club along with the Shropshire Mines Trust and Shropshire Bat Group put on a number of activities over the weekend for members of the public. Ranging from underground trips, to surface tours and activities, plus demonstrations.
On the Saturday evening members of all three organisations came together for a social event in Snailbeach Village Hall. Luckily, as the thunderstorms broke out the public events had finished - Snailbeach also managed to dodge the worst of the rain.
See the News page for more pictures
Grasmere village hall, base for the 2023 NAMHO Conference (Peter Eggleston).
Over a dozen Club members made their way to the Lake District in July (some staying in hotels and B&Bs and others camping - the VERY wet option!) to take part in this year’s conference based at Grasmere Village Hall and hosted by Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society (CATMHS).
The theme for this year’s NAMHO Conference was “5,000 years of Mining and Quarrying in the Lake District”. This was backed-up by sixteen lectures covering a range of topics from Neolithic stone axes from Langdale, Stone hammers, mortar stones and early mining in Cumbria, medieval lead smelting; and the mining over the years of lead, silver, copper, tungsten, iron and coal. Talks on the minerals and geology of the area also linked in with some of the surface and underground trips that took place over the weekend.
The lectern made by Andy Harris for the 2021 Conference was in use by the speakers. It now carries two additional plaques, CMHS from last year and CATMHS added this year.
Sally Taylor preparing for her talk on stone tools, with Andy's 'headframe' lectern. (Peter Eggleston)
The plaques on the front of the lectern. I wonder where next years plaque will go? (Peter Eggleston)
The Club display (with iron rails) at the Ironbridge Archaeology Day, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron in July. (Kelvin Lake)
David Poyner and Kelvin Lake took along a display of Club archaeology work to this event hosted by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust at the Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale (sponsored by the Association for Industrial Archaeology). With over 60 years of Club activities to choose from it was very difficult to decide what to feature on the display!
A number of ‘new’ photos from the archives were printed and mounted. Covering the surveying and recording of underground features and equipment it included the work at Pitchcroft limestone mine, Eardington Forge and Billingsley Colliery. The exhibit also featured earlier work by David Adams et al and a selection of tramway rails and wheels borrowed from the Shropshire Mines Trust and Nick Southwick.
Club members seem to have had a hectic few months, not just on organised Club trips but on a number of ad-hoc trips and outings with other organisations. In addition to the large number of members who made the trip to the Lake District in July for the NAMHO 2023 Conference. The biggest Club trip was our 12 days in Spain during at the end of April - a lengthy report on the trip and places we visited is being serialised in Below! (It may take a few issues to completely cover the trip).
Exploring underground for over 60 years
Important Note
Warning These pages are under continuous development, so beware of false links, and blind headings .... !!
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.... if you dare !!!
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Shropshire Caving & Mining Club