Caving Club Discovers 200-Year-Old Mine Left In ‘Pristine’ Condition With Workers’ Personal Items
July 31, 2022
(Photo by CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
“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.