Agneash

More mines

Tuesday 14th January, 2014

Dorothy's Sunday email said . . .  "Tuesday looks like a good walk day at the moment.  Trevor suggests we meet at Agneash for a walk to the other mines."

Tuesday was still looking like a good walk day when we arrived at the little hamlet of Agneash about half way between Laxey and the Snaefell mine, the "other mines" that we were heading for.  Work started on the mine in 1856 and it was closed in 1908 due to a serious fault in the main shaft.

The possibility of early frost had been forecast but the morning was warm for this time of year, the sun was shining and there was hardly any wind.  There was just one fluffy white cloud obscuring the top of Snaefell at the head of the valley.

We made our way up the track towards the mines.  The route was stony and wet as usual.  We paused a few times to photograph some ruins and a waterfall which tumbles down the side of the glen.  It is hard to get a good photo of this waterfall because of the trees near the track.  We have tried from different angles but I think this photo that Tim took, straight  through the lattice of bare, pale ash branches, is by far the best.

Then we passed this old house just below the track - with only one picturesque wall still standing among the sycamores.

I noticed some other remains of buildings above the track, which we hadn't seen previously, and we walked up to examine them.  It is hard to mentally reconstruct buildings from the odd wall and piles of stones but we decided that this was most likely a barn belonging to the house further down the slope.  As well as the building, there was a retaining wall (possibly below a farm road), and some small levelled areas below.   A lot of hard work must have gone into improving this farm.

Unfortunately the Snaefell Mine is best known because of a tragedy . . . the worst mining disaster in Manx mining history when nineteen lives were lost in May 1897.  There is a description of the disaster on this link http://www.manxmines.com/SNAEFELL%20MINE.htm

This is the rescue team.  Captain Kewley, the mine captain with the very fine beard, is seated in the front centre. 

And this is where he lived . . . the mine captain's house.

It is very difficult to imagine what the Snaefell Mine must have been like by examining the site today because very few of the original structures remain.  I found this small photo which is said to have been taken around 1870.  "The waterwheel used for pumping was 50 feet in diameter and was the fourth largest working on the Island at the time.  On the right can be seen the shear legs over the shaft for raising the kibbles and in the foreground the men are at work constructing the washing floors."

We tried to work out the position of the nineteenth century photographer - and the position of the waterwheel.  It was difficult because new structures were built in the 1950's.  Metalliferious Holding Ltd. installed a mill and modern flotation tanks when they were reworking the deads.   

I thought the waterwheel had to be under the end of the system of wide leats bringing water from the hillside above, and then Trevor pointed out that a structure on the other side of the stream was the capped mine shaft.  We were able to add all the clues together and come up with a satisfactory conclusion which was confirmed when I found the photo of the rescue team and noticed the surviving chimney behind the waterwheel.

The first photo that I took shows a square opening to the tunnel for the stream which must have replaced the arched opening in the lower right corner of the early photo.

The capped mine shaft is the box-like structure in front of the conifers.

And this is the entrance to the tunnel for the stream (above the old mine) which matches the lower arched opening in the old photo.

And a sad reminder of the lives lost.

We left the valley and tackled the climb up to the Clagh Ouyr footpath.  This part of the walk is hard work because we have to climb about 500 feet in less than half a mile.  It was good to pause and take a last photo of the mines, showing the leats which diverted the water towards the big wheel.

Near the top of the climb, I paused again to get my breath and record these clouds over the sea.

Further on we passed through the old metal gate posts on the side of Slieau Lhean.   A few years ago the path was a little further down the slope but it has been improved and returned to its original route. 

Eventually we turned off the path, which continues towards the Clarum, and walked down a narrow and very wet path which took us back towards Agneash.  A colourful fungal growth on a dead gorse branch caught my eye.

More wet paths.  I was thinking that we have more than our fair share of water on the Island.  We would make a fortune if we could export it!  Then finally we reached the sloping field above Agneash.

We passed a group of hikers with a little dog below the field.  They were examining the old wheel case at Glen Drink (where the fairies dance) before heading off towards the Snaefell Mine.   The little dog came up to check me out and gave a soft growl before giving my hand an apologetic lick!