An interesting explore that sadly, we didn't have enough time to complete fully after taking a few detours around the various routes that were on offer. We'll definitely be back here again soon to make it all the way through to the end of Cumberland Cavern.
You can check out all my photos from this explore here on my Flickr.
Background:
Wapping Mine is an old shaft and adit working on the Moletrap Rake. From 1924 onwards the mine was reworked for fluorspar and the main areas of working where on the Moletrap Vein and the Maze located at the northwest end of the mine. The Maze is a confusing warren of passages and pockets, which did not actually yield a large amount of fluorspar. After 1936 not much more activity took place until 1953 when it was worked again quite intensively for around 3 years. During this time an opencast section was started at the adit, which advanced westwards along the rake, however a collapse in 1954 brought the front end of the mine down. The Incline Level, located southwest from the main adit was also driven in this period in an attempt to cross the vein from the Main Stope working, but this proved to be unfruitful.
Cumberland Cavern, whose original name is Cumberland Mine, is an old working most likely developed at the same time as Wapping Mine. It is above the Wapping workings by some 12m, and has two connections with it. The Funnel Cave at the end of the Forth Stope in Wapping and the Devils Pit, which leads into the Maze. A lot of the workings in Cumberland Cavern seem to have broken into natural chambers, which is reinforced by the fact that there a very few shot holes. The mine looks to have been worked once and was opened in 1780 as a show cave. Queen Victoria visited the show cave and it then became known as Royal Cumberland Cavern. After the show cave was closed, somewhere in between the late 1960's and early 1970's a gang call the "Troggs" occupied the show cave resulting in large amounts of graffiti in some of its chambers. Today, the orignal entrance to Cumberland Cavern has been sealed, but access can still be gained via Wapping Mine.
Today the whole complex is part of Masson Hill SSSI.
The explore:
Entrance into Wapping Mine is via its adit and there are currently no known access restrictions according to the Derbyshire Caving Association's registry. For anyone looking to go into Wapping Mine to try and make their way to Cumberland Cavern it is worth trying to follow this map while you are navigating:
Looking towards the entrance:
A few pictures from inside Wapping Mine:
We didn't make it all the way into Cumberland Cavern this time around, but a return visit will be on the cards soon to make it into the show cave.
You can check out all my photos from this explore here on my Flickr.
Background:
Wapping Mine is an old shaft and adit working on the Moletrap Rake. From 1924 onwards the mine was reworked for fluorspar and the main areas of working where on the Moletrap Vein and the Maze located at the northwest end of the mine. The Maze is a confusing warren of passages and pockets, which did not actually yield a large amount of fluorspar. After 1936 not much more activity took place until 1953 when it was worked again quite intensively for around 3 years. During this time an opencast section was started at the adit, which advanced westwards along the rake, however a collapse in 1954 brought the front end of the mine down. The Incline Level, located southwest from the main adit was also driven in this period in an attempt to cross the vein from the Main Stope working, but this proved to be unfruitful.
Cumberland Cavern, whose original name is Cumberland Mine, is an old working most likely developed at the same time as Wapping Mine. It is above the Wapping workings by some 12m, and has two connections with it. The Funnel Cave at the end of the Forth Stope in Wapping and the Devils Pit, which leads into the Maze. A lot of the workings in Cumberland Cavern seem to have broken into natural chambers, which is reinforced by the fact that there a very few shot holes. The mine looks to have been worked once and was opened in 1780 as a show cave. Queen Victoria visited the show cave and it then became known as Royal Cumberland Cavern. After the show cave was closed, somewhere in between the late 1960's and early 1970's a gang call the "Troggs" occupied the show cave resulting in large amounts of graffiti in some of its chambers. Today, the orignal entrance to Cumberland Cavern has been sealed, but access can still be gained via Wapping Mine.
Today the whole complex is part of Masson Hill SSSI.
The explore:
Entrance into Wapping Mine is via its adit and there are currently no known access restrictions according to the Derbyshire Caving Association's registry. For anyone looking to go into Wapping Mine to try and make their way to Cumberland Cavern it is worth trying to follow this map while you are navigating:
Looking towards the entrance:
A few pictures from inside Wapping Mine:
We didn't make it all the way into Cumberland Cavern this time around, but a return visit will be on the cards soon to make it into the show cave.
