Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Alex.
The mine you are referring to, was first called Dover Colliery and the Shakespear Colliery but it was originally the drift boring site for the first channel tunnel. That was abandoned because the government at that time decided that if it was finished, it would be too easy for the French to invade England.
The owner new that coal had been found in Kent so he turned his boring machine and started boring down towards coal.
The story goes that he did find some coal but when trying to get financial backing; he secretly took a load of coal down the pit the day before his campaign to get funding and brought it back up in front of potential backers.
Prone to flooding with several lives lost, it closed.
There is a different story that someone on here sent me details of that showed that he it did produce coal but it still did not last for long anyway.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
I read something in Lorraines book about Dover ghosts; the footsteps of the miners can sometimes be heard coming over Western Heights. There were some tragic incidents with miners losing their life at the Samphire Hoe shafts.
Kent's coal is too deep to mine, fortunately, as that prevented our County falling victim to the Industrial Revolution.
Had the coal been available then, they'd have built the factories right near the coalmines, as they did in South Wales, the Hull and Sheffield area, the Glasgow and Edinburgh area, and around Birmingham, where iron-ore was discovered.
We'd have received a few major industrial cities in Kent back then, which meanwhile would 'of developed to the size of Greater Birmingham.
Fortunately our Wealden iron-ore mines were empty by the time the Industrial Revolution broke out,for the same reasons. We used up our iron-ore during the Middle Ages, thus preserving Kent as the Garden of England.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
alex,its not to deep.tilmanstone and snowdon at 3000 ft and betteshanger at 1900ft.very easy to gather coal at that depth.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
And----------- we have plenty of iron-ore left in Kent, too Alex
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
If so, Gary, then the iron-ore was discovered after the Industrial Revolution.
Most of the world's mined iron sank during the two World Wars and lies at the bottom of the Ocean in the form of ships, subs, and cargo of various sorts.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
In 1880, work began at Shakespeare Cliff on a Channel Tunnel from Dover to Calais but in 1882 the government halted the work while it considered the military implications. With its workers lying idle, the company decided to drill bore holes to investigate Kent's geology and both iron ore and coal were found in 1890.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Daw Mill close's with the loss of jobs for 650 miners
Daw Mill was one of the few remaining coal mines in the UK, was also one of Europe's largest.
Closed by a fire that swept through the seam on 22 February was caused by spontaneous combustion a common hazard when miners are working at such depths because of the intense heat.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 705- Registered: 23 Sep 2010
- Posts: 661
Gasification sounds about right to me-and for the time being enough quality traditionally mined coal to keep the heritage railways running!
At the KESR we have kids asking our drivers to handle the coal-very few have actually seen it before!
Never give up...
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Pregnant women used to love coal. How times change.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 1694- Registered: 24 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,087
Iron Ore was mined and smelted in Kent from Roman times right through the Middle Ages, many of our ancient coppiced woodlands came about as a result of demand for charcoal that was used to smelt local Iron Ore. Dover District has a long and distinguished history of industrial innovation and factories manufacturing goods of many kinds. If one wanders around the side streets of Valparaiso (I'm sure elsewhere as well, but Valparaiso in Chile springs to mind as it is the furthest afield that I came across items of Dover manufacture in my many travels) it is still possible to see manhole covers and drain grills manufactured at the Dover Engineering Works.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Gary, coal cravings are quite common in pregnancy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7370524.stmI'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Having eaten plenty myself, I can't see why pregnant women would crave for it.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
Gary , have been slowly buying up mining rights in St.Margaret's; thanks for the tip.
Is this insider info?
Hope this does not damage your NUM street cred!!
Watty
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Not at all Paul,
POP would be proud of you
Your name is often mentioned in my Mining Talks
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Just imagine a developer up at Whitfield, while boring the ground to test it, started unearthing coals!
The Government would in no-time be putting a halt to all activities and sending down experts to further explore the area
Guest 868- Registered: 25 Jan 2013
- Posts: 490
Alexander D wrote:Just imagine a developer up at Whitfield, while boring the ground to test it, started unearthing coals!
The Government would in no-time be putting a halt to all activities and sending down experts to further explore the area
Rather hard to imagine when the seams are 1000+ feet down
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Posh Barry's wine cellar perhaps?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
ah yes barry has an extensive collection of beaujolais noveau, 1875 i believe is the vintage.
