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Caving Club Discovers 200-Year-Old Mine Left In ‘Pristine’ Condition With Workers’ Personal Items

(Photo by CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)

Sarah Wilder Social Issues Reporter
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The Derbyshire Caving Club has discovered a mine evidently abandoned in 1810 that is in rare ‘pristine’ condition, according to the National Trust.

The mine was first discovered by the caving club in autumn of 2021, but it was not accessible to the public until recently, when the National Trust shared a video of the mine online.

Several personal items formerly belonging to the miners, including leather shoes, inscriptions written with candle soot, and a metal button from a jacket, were found in the cobalt mine. (RELATED: Three-Eyed Marine Predator Found After Half A Billion Years)

“To find a mine in pristine condition, together with such personal objects and inscriptions, is rare. It is a compelling window into the past and to the last day when the mine workers stopped their activities,” Derbyshire Caving Club member Ed Coghlan said.


Coghlan said the presence of a windlass in the mine, a piece of equipment used for moving large sections of raw material, suggested the workers were told to leave the mine on short notice, since the windlass would normally be taken to the next job site.

“We are also intrigued by the initials ‘WS’ with the date ’20th Aug 1810′ that we found written in candle soot in part of the mine.  Who was he and what is the significance of the date?” Coghlan continued.

Jamie Lund, a National Trust archeologist, said people will only be able to view the mine virtually due to the site being difficult to access.

“The objects found in the mine have been photographed and catalogued and left where they were found, to remain in the underground conditions which have preserved them,” Lund said. “It leaves the mine as a time capsule, protecting a place that was once a hive of activity for future generations to explore and enjoy.”

The video footage of the mine is funded by the Robert Kiln Fund and carried out by the Christians Survey & Inspection Solutions. It is available for viewing starting July 12.