2018
NY9901 : Remains of an old shaft on the moor
taken 6 years ago, near to Langthwaite, North Yorkshire, England
Remains of an old shaft on the moor
Lead mine shafts like this are a common sight on the moors above Swaledale and Arkengarthdale and represent one of the earlier forms of lead mining when vertical shafts would be dug down along the line of a vein of lead ore [galena] and then worked sideways along the vein. They were rarely very deep, often the depth decided by how far someone operating a windlass could haul a tub full of heavy ore up to the surface. Later with the use of a horse whim, the shafts could go deeper. Such green 'saucers' on the moor can be a tempting place to sit out of the wind, but this is a foolish thing to do as one cannot be sure what is under the grass in the bottom of the saucer [maybe old and very rotten timbers?].
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