| Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines | |
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| Area of Search | Avon |
| Grid Reference | ST761625 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 6. Combe Down ( is a village suburb of Bath in the English county of Somerset, within the Bath and North East Somerset Council area Bathampton is a village and Civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. Areas of Search (AOSs are geographical areas used in the selection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Grid references define locations on Maps using Cartesian coordinates. 22 hectares (15. 37 acres) |
| Notification | 1991 |
| Location Map | English Nature |
Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines (grid reference ST761625) is a 6. A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a Conservation designation denoting a Protected area in the United Kingdom. Combe Down ( is a village suburb of Bath in the English county of Somerset, within the Bath and North East Somerset Council area Bathampton is a village and Civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude 22 hectare (15. 37 acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Bath and North East Somerset, notified in 1991, because of the Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bat population. A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a Conservation designation denoting a Protected area in the United Kingdom. Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a Unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 The Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a European Bat of the Rhinolophus genus The Lesser Horseshoe Bat ( Rhinolophus hipposideros) is a type of European Bat related to but smaller than its cousin the Greater Horseshoe Bat [1]
The mines dates from the 17th and 18th Century and were used to extract Bath stone for the city of Bath, and have since been disused. Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of Calcium carbonate. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol.
A project which started in the 1990's is underway to stabilise the mine workings which are very close to the surface and present a risk of collapse.
Contents |
Geology
Combe Down forms a plateau capped by Great Oolite limestones between the valley of the River Avon and Horsecombe Vale. Oolite ( egg stone) is a Sedimentary rock formed from Ooids spherical grains composed of concentric layers Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 The River Avon is a River in the south west of England. Because of a number of other River Avons in England this river is often also known as the Lower The geology of the region is dominated by rocks of Middle and Early Jurassic ages. The Middle Jurassic, called the Dogger in the European system of classification is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. For general context see Jurassic. The Early Jurassic (in geology referred to as the Lower Jurassic, originally (and still in Europe the The Great Oolite is the uppermost lithology. In Geology, petrology (from Greek πέτρα petra, rock and λόγος logos, knowledge is the study of rocks and the conditions on which This is underlain by the clays of the Fuller’s Earth Formation, which in turn is underlain by limestones of the Inferior Oolite and the Midford Sands of the Lias. Fuller's earth is any nonplastic Clay or claylike earthy material that can be used to decolorize filter and purify animal mineral and vegetable oils and greases For general context see Jurassic. The Early Jurassic (in geology referred to as the Lower Jurassic, originally (and still in Europe the The Great and Inferior Oolite formations provide effective aquifers (rock in which water can be stored and pass through) for public and private water supplies. [2]
History
The Great Oolite stone, used for building purposes, formed over 146 million years ago when the area was underneath a deep tropical sea on which the shells of ooliths were deposited. The ooliths bonded together to form the distinctive rock known as oolitic limestone or locally as ‘Bath stone’. Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of Calcium carbonate. The Romans found that it was easily worked and used it for important fortifications. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC During the 17th Century, small quarries were opened, with major quarries being developed in the 18th Century to produce the Bath stone used for most of the buildings in Bath. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Stone was extracted by the "room and pillar" method, by which chambers were mined, leaving pillars of stone between them to support the roof. [2] These mines were once owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). Ralph Allen (1693 - June 29, 1764) was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on July 24, 1693. Year 1764 ( MDCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
The mine contains a range of mine features including well preserved tramways, cart-roads and crane bases. This article refers to light railways for moving goods for other uses see Tramway Tramways are lightly laid Railways sometimes The walls and pillars of the mine are studded with pick and tool marks and show evidence of the use of huge stone saws, all of which bear testimony to the variety of techniques used to extract the stone over the mine's three hundred year history. A pickaxe is a Hand tool with a hard head attached Perpendicular to the handle [3]
No mine abandonment plans of - either the tunnels or the caverns, known as voids - were made prior to the 1872 Mining Act. [2] Following their closure were used for a variety of purposes, including a mushroom farm and as an Air-raid shelter during the World War II Baedeker raids on Bath. A mushroom is the fleshy Spore -bearing Fruiting body of a Fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source For the general article about fortified structures see Bunker. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including TemplateLocation_map_many/doc -->The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids" by the [3]
During 1989 a utilities contractor unexpectedly broke through into part of the mines complex whilst excavating a trench, which raised concerns locally which resulted in the then Bath City Council commissioning studies to survey the condition of the mines. It was clear that the mines were in a very unstable state and some experts considered them to be the largest shallowest and most unstable of their kind in Europe. [4]
Mine and environmental survey
An underground survey of the Firs and Byfield mine areas was carried out in 1994, commissioned by the then Bath City Council. It was found that approximately 80% of the mines had less than 6m cover and as little as 2m in some places. Irregular mining and robbing stone from supporting pillars had left the mines unstable. [2]
Approximately 80% of the mines, which are up to 9 m high and cover a total area of about 18 ha, had less than 6 m cover and as little as 2 m in some places. [5]
An Environmental Impact Assessment was completed for the stabilisation scheme and submitted to the Local Planning Authority in December 2002. An ( EIA) is an assessment of the possible impact&ndashpositive or negative&ndashthat a proposed project may have on the Natural environment. This highlighted that the mine is; within the World Heritage Site of the City of Bath; adjacent to the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), within a conservation area, containing a number of Listed buildings; a Site of Special Scientific Interest; a candidate Special Area of Conservation; of international importance for Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats; and of international geological importance partly due to the work of William Smith. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB is an area of countryside with significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland A conservation area is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a Conservation designation denoting a Protected area in the United Kingdom. A Special Area of Conservation (SAC is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats The Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a European Bat of the Rhinolophus genus The Lesser Horseshoe Bat ( Rhinolophus hipposideros) is a type of European Bat related to but smaller than its cousin the Greater Horseshoe Bat William Smith ( March 23 1769 &ndash August 28 1839) was an English Geologist, credited with creating the first nationwide [2] [1] Ritchies contract to create bat tunnels
During the access and emergency works Oxford Archaeology produced large scale plans of visible areas and substantial photography was carried out as the modern roadways allowed access. There were also trials of video photography and laser scanning, so that a substantial record has been produced of some 20% of the known workings. [3]
The mine also lies above a Grade 1 aquifer from which water for public and private use is extracted via the springs that issue at the base of these units, in particular at the Prior Park, Whittaker and Tucking Mill springs. An aquifer is an underground layer of Water -bearing Permeable rock or unconsolidated materials ( Gravel, Sand, Silt, or Clay For the nearby Catholic Independent School adjoining the Prior Park Landscape Garden see Prior Park College; for its prep school see Prior Park Preparatory School [2]
Mine stabilisation project
In March 1999, the then Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR), now known as the Department for Communities and Local Government, announced a Land Stabilisation Programme, based on the Derelict Land Act 1982. The Secretary of State for the Environment Transport and the Regions was a UK Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department for Environment The Department for Communities and Local Government (branded as Communities and Local Government) is the United Kingdom government department for communities This programme was designed to “deal with abandoned non-coal mine workings which are likely to collapse and threaten life and property”. A Bath and North East Somerset Council outline bid for a two-phase stabilisation project was accepted in August 1999, by English Partnerships who administer the programme for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a Unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 English Partnerships (EP is the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies [2] A parliamentary Statutory Instrument (2002 No. In Law, a Statutory Instrument is a form of delegated or Secondary legislation. 2053) was needed before the work could be undertaken. [6]
Approximately 760 properties were included in the planning application boundary - we estimate that ca. 1660 people live within this area, which also includes a primary school, a nursery and 3 churches. See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of three and five staffed by qualified teachers and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. Currently there are weight restrictions on the local roads, and width restrictions have been fitted to stop lorries passing through the area. As of mid-June 2006 there are also traffic lights along North Road. [2] In September 2006 subsidence was noticed along Combe Road, at its junction with Westerleigh Road, and this road has therefore been closed for the foreseeable future. It is hoped that the road will open sometime in 2007 depending on the progress of work underneath.
Foamed concrete has been selected as the solution for the large scale infilling of the old mine works. It is planned that over 400,000 m3 of foamed concrete will be placed in the shallow underground mines, which potentially cover more than 25 hectares. This is the single largest application of foamed concrete on a project in the UK.
References
- ^ Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines. English Nature SSSI Citation Sheet. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
- ^ a b c d e f g h Combe Down Stone Mines Land Stabilisation Project. BANES. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
- ^ a b c Combe Down Mines. Oxford Archeology. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
- ^ Combe Down Mines. ISSMGE: 5th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnic. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
- ^ Combe Down Stone Mines Project. Scott Wilson. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
- ^ The Derelict Land Clearance Area (Combe Down Stone Mines, Bath) Order 2002. Statutory Instruments HMSO, the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament. . Retrieved on 2006-07-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to
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