A group of speleologists discovered several
The mine is located near Manchester in the villagecalled Alderley Edge. It was once a source of cobalt, which is used to make ceramics and glass. Its mining was a lucrative business in 19th-century England. It later became cheaper to import cobalt from other countries than to mine it. Therefore, this particular mine, which was owned by Sir John Thomas Stanley in the early 1800s, was abandoned around 1810.
Remains of shoes found in the mine. Image credit: National Trust Images/Paul Harris
Members of the Derbyshire Caving Clubhave been exploring the Alderley Edge mine since the 1970s, leasing access from the National Trust, a British conservation charity. A group of cavers recently came across some personal items left in a previously unexplored part of the mine. As scientists note, the find is reminiscent of opening a time capsule.
“To find a mine in pristine condition togetherwith such personal items and inscriptions is a rarity, said Derbyshire Speleological Club member Ed Coghlan. “It’s a window into the past, to the day the miners stopped working.”
According to the statement, along with shoesAnd with pipes, speleologists found a bowl buried in the wall - this is how superstitious miners thanked the mine for good ore. Also found in the cave was a winch, which was used to lift and move heavy materials.
The fact that the miners left behind such an important tool means they were “told, without much warning, to pack up their tools and move on,” the cavers noted.
One of the particularly mysterious finds was the inscriptionfrom the initials “WS” with the date “August 20, 1810.” “Whether this was simply a person who wanted to say, ‘I was here,’ or whether it was a trace of a visit from a mine manager or an estate owner is unknown,” the researchers conclude.
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