Cystanog Lead Mine trip 17/02/2019
Unless otherwise stated, camera, setups, lighting, edits and gallery effects by Tarquin. Modelling and lighting at various points will be Pete Bolt and Phil Knight.
Tallow candle just beyond the second choke.
Modelling by Pete's hand
Rusted chain after the second choke.
Shovel in Cystanog Level 2.
Crystals in Cystanog Level 2. These might be gypsum/selenite, or they might be epsomite - magnesium sulfate or epsom salt - like gypsum/selenite with magnesium instead of calcium.
Rigging the rebelay on the main shaft between levels 1 and 2. The rock is terrible for bolts, and they regularly fail to grip. This rebelay is more of a wish than a safety measure.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The shaft between Levels 1 and 2. This is really a massive stope, ramping up to connect to the huge stope in Level 2. The aven in the ceiling joins Level 2 again. The distant hole at ceiling level is a short stub of passage dropping into the sublevel between the two levels. The massive wall of deads towers 8 metres above your head as you descend the pitch, which is quite unnerving. It has no shuttering, as 100 years have rotted it all away, so there is absolutely no way you would ever want to access the sublevel from this direction.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
Shovel at the bottom of the shaft.
Start of the upstream side passages
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
The Passage of 1000 Candles, one of the side passages, named after the large number of tallow candle stumps on the walls. This was driven back towards the main drive, but was abandoned before completion. The floor is made from wooden boards of a former barrow way. The remains of a trolley can be seen on one wall, and a bucket on the other. To protect the barrow way, access is not permitted down this passage, the end is visible from the start anyway.
Modelling by Phil and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Phil and Pete
The second side passage was abandoned mid-drive, leaving the large piles of spoil to hold back pools of water.
Modelling by Pete and Phil, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Phil
Stope in the longest side passage, which is adorned with what appears to be calcite or hydrozincite flowstone.
End of the longest passage, also abandoned. These seemed to be an attempt to locate and follow a parallel vein, but they were a failure.
Modelling by Phil and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Phil and Pete
Calcite/hydrozincite flowstone.
Rusticles, with tiny bits of calcite/hydrozincite, and manganese staining.
Rusticles.
Rusticles.
Shotholes at the choked base of the ore chute.
Cobbles. These look like hammer stones, but are unlikely to be, since such tools were mostly out of use by the time this mine was driven. They are most likely to be natural river cobbles, possibly ones removed from the shale itself during mining.
A complete tallow candle discovered in a short side passage, one of several found there. These have been donated to a museum.
Lengthy canal in the downstream direction from the shaft base, seen here downstream from the side passage with the side passage with the candles.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Stope in a side passage at the end of the canal. This points towards the Passage of 1000 Candles, and ends abruptly long before joining it.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Squirting inlet, a tiny jet of water which runs in all conditions.
Rail track imprints in the main Level 1.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Sleepers.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Sloping beds, the only part of the mine where this is really evident. The pool is held back by a minor roof collapse.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Backfilled side passage. Digging over the infill revealed a short length of passage. Strangely, when backfilling passages, they had chosen not to backfill all the way to the end, which wasted the space that could have been used.
Dangerous undercut in the Death Stope side passage. This has been followed for about 10 metres to a complete collapse below Death Stope. While it looks enticing, the ceiling is made up of stacked deads, held up by nothing. Historically, this has collapsed to fill what appears to be a passage below. This is where the water flows out. We have not pushed it, it is simply too risky.
Above the undercut is a steeply sloping passage whose floor is made up from deads.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The steeply sloping passage ends in the tall Death Stope, with rocks and gunk guarding its heights. There is no rock good enough to put bolts into, but it is being bolted anyway.
Stemples above the main passage were presumably used to hold wires and cables (for signalling bells).
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Phil
Wet aven. The ceiling is choked 10 metres up, and the stream seems to come from the entrance passage of Level 2, which is about 8 metres up above the aven's top.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
A bizarre tiny tube ascends in the ceiling. Barely big enough to slither through, it ascends steeply to a ceiling made of striped sediment, with pick marks. This is directly below the Level 2 tip, and it is possible that it had been planned as an ore chute or ventillation shaft for some unknown reason. Either that or someone got bored and decided to see if they could break surface.
A rusty coke can below the choke which had previously blocked the passage at the base of the tube. This distinctive design and features of the can give a fairly reliable date of 1991, showing that this part of the mine was accessible in that year; around 35 metres of passage. (We did some pretty detailed research on the can's design.)
Remains of a wheel barrow near the Level 1 entrance. This was tested to see if it might be possible to recover it for a museum, but it is unlikely that the wood will survive in the surface atmosphere.
Spider near the Level 1 entrance. This is an orb weaver, rather than a cave spider.
Level 1 entrance. This has collapsed a few times, and needs to be dug open from the outside each time.
Riverside, the old Penlan Villa mining site, where the mining operations were conducted. In theory, there is a deep, flooded shaft here somewhere, extending under the river, and back under Level 1.
Tallow candle just beyond the second choke.
Modelling by Pete's hand
Rusted chain after the second choke.
Shovel in Cystanog Level 2.
Crystals in Cystanog Level 2. These might be gypsum/selenite, or they might be epsomite - magnesium sulfate or epsom salt - like gypsum/selenite with magnesium instead of calcium.
Rigging the rebelay on the main shaft between levels 1 and 2. The rock is terrible for bolts, and they regularly fail to grip. This rebelay is more of a wish than a safety measure.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The shaft between Levels 1 and 2. This is really a massive stope, ramping up to connect to the huge stope in Level 2. The aven in the ceiling joins Level 2 again. The distant hole at ceiling level is a short stub of passage dropping into the sublevel between the two levels. The massive wall of deads towers 8 metres above your head as you descend the pitch, which is quite unnerving. It has no shuttering, as 100 years have rotted it all away, so there is absolutely no way you would ever want to access the sublevel from this direction.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
Shovel at the bottom of the shaft.
Start of the upstream side passages
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
The Passage of 1000 Candles, one of the side passages, named after the large number of tallow candle stumps on the walls. This was driven back towards the main drive, but was abandoned before completion. The floor is made from wooden boards of a former barrow way. The remains of a trolley can be seen on one wall, and a bucket on the other. To protect the barrow way, access is not permitted down this passage, the end is visible from the start anyway.
Modelling by Phil and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Phil and Pete
The second side passage was abandoned mid-drive, leaving the large piles of spoil to hold back pools of water.
Modelling by Pete and Phil, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Phil
Stope in the longest side passage, which is adorned with what appears to be calcite or hydrozincite flowstone.
End of the longest passage, also abandoned. These seemed to be an attempt to locate and follow a parallel vein, but they were a failure.
Modelling by Phil and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Phil and Pete
Calcite/hydrozincite flowstone.
Rusticles, with tiny bits of calcite/hydrozincite, and manganese staining.
Rusticles.
Rusticles.
Shotholes at the choked base of the ore chute.
Cobbles. These look like hammer stones, but are unlikely to be, since such tools were mostly out of use by the time this mine was driven. They are most likely to be natural river cobbles, possibly ones removed from the shale itself during mining.
A complete tallow candle discovered in a short side passage, one of several found there. These have been donated to a museum.
Lengthy canal in the downstream direction from the shaft base, seen here downstream from the side passage with the side passage with the candles.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Stope in a side passage at the end of the canal. This points towards the Passage of 1000 Candles, and ends abruptly long before joining it.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Squirting inlet, a tiny jet of water which runs in all conditions.
Rail track imprints in the main Level 1.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Sleepers.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Sloping beds, the only part of the mine where this is really evident. The pool is held back by a minor roof collapse.
Modelling by Phil, lighting by Tarquin and Phil
Backfilled side passage. Digging over the infill revealed a short length of passage. Strangely, when backfilling passages, they had chosen not to backfill all the way to the end, which wasted the space that could have been used.
Dangerous undercut in the Death Stope side passage. This has been followed for about 10 metres to a complete collapse below Death Stope. While it looks enticing, the ceiling is made up of stacked deads, held up by nothing. Historically, this has collapsed to fill what appears to be a passage below. This is where the water flows out. We have not pushed it, it is simply too risky.
Above the undercut is a steeply sloping passage whose floor is made up from deads.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The steeply sloping passage ends in the tall Death Stope, with rocks and gunk guarding its heights. There is no rock good enough to put bolts into, but it is being bolted anyway.
Stemples above the main passage were presumably used to hold wires and cables (for signalling bells).
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Phil
Wet aven. The ceiling is choked 10 metres up, and the stream seems to come from the entrance passage of Level 2, which is about 8 metres up above the aven's top.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
A bizarre tiny tube ascends in the ceiling. Barely big enough to slither through, it ascends steeply to a ceiling made of striped sediment, with pick marks. This is directly below the Level 2 tip, and it is possible that it had been planned as an ore chute or ventillation shaft for some unknown reason. Either that or someone got bored and decided to see if they could break surface.
A rusty coke can below the choke which had previously blocked the passage at the base of the tube. This distinctive design and features of the can give a fairly reliable date of 1991, showing that this part of the mine was accessible in that year; around 35 metres of passage. (We did some pretty detailed research on the can's design.)
Remains of a wheel barrow near the Level 1 entrance. This was tested to see if it might be possible to recover it for a museum, but it is unlikely that the wood will survive in the surface atmosphere.
Spider near the Level 1 entrance. This is an orb weaver, rather than a cave spider.
Level 1 entrance. This has collapsed a few times, and needs to be dug open from the outside each time.
Riverside, the old Penlan Villa mining site, where the mining operations were conducted. In theory, there is a deep, flooded shaft here somewhere, extending under the river, and back under Level 1.