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The area around Snape Wood had been known for centuries to be rich in iron ore and remained a centre for iron ore extraction and smelting until the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Traces of earlier operations have all but vanished, but in 1875 a seam of ore was discovered in Snape Wood and a mine was opened to extract the ore. After several adits and draw shafts stretching for several hundred feet had been excavated and the iron ore removed, the mine was abandoned.
The draw shaft was dug out by KURG in 2002 and the other entrances were then located and excavated.
Location:
Condition: Good
Date Of Visit: 06/07/08
Plan: No
Video: Yes
Report: No
Other Sites in the Area:
This ladder goes across a shaft, it is full of water so its difficult to ascertain how deep the water is.
The water at this point is over 2ft deep.
A layer of silt has built up over the years.
The water that the mine comes from the nearby railway line.
Bands of iron ore are very clear in the walls of the mine.
Cart tracks are still in place on the floor.