History- Kingsdown quarry is also known as swan mine due to it being in close proximity to the swan pub which used to be the old quarry masters house. The quarry began in 1896 and was worked by 12 men with 2 known fatalities due to roof falls while working the mine. The stone was extracted using horse and cart with the cart tracks still clearly visible in the main passages. The mine was closed in 1932 and has sat abandoned ever since.
the explore- I was quite surprised to see how clean and free from modern graffiti it was which for me made it a much better explore, the mine has still got some old tools, a horse trough and at the very end of the passage is one of the old cranes used to load the bath stone onto the carts. Although the mine is not as extensive as maybe browns or box it still has a lot to offer. As usual the photos are taken from my phone so excuse the quality of them.
the explore- I was quite surprised to see how clean and free from modern graffiti it was which for me made it a much better explore, the mine has still got some old tools, a horse trough and at the very end of the passage is one of the old cranes used to load the bath stone onto the carts. Although the mine is not as extensive as maybe browns or box it still has a lot to offer. As usual the photos are taken from my phone so excuse the quality of them.
Last edited by a moderator:
