| Findall Iron Mine lies not far off the raod to the west of Soudley in Staple Edge Wood. It was less than a mile from where I lived at Bradley Hill for many years. Findall Iron Mine was owned by Edward Protheroe and William Crawshay. It was operating from 1841 and produced ore for Protheroe's blast furnace at Soudley. The mine passed through several owners Mr James, of Lydney (1845, Benjamin Gibbon (probably 1857) and Maximilian Low in 1873. The mine was connected underground to the nearby Perseverance Mine. The Drybrook Sandstone ventilation chimney with its' firebox still stands at a height of 45 feet and was connected to the mine by stone flues. Ventilation was necssary to draw out the carbon dioxide (blackdamp) that would accumulate underground. The site was conserved in 1976/7. Those involved were Ian Standing, Di Court, Mike Howells and Phil Scharz. Also nearby are three small ponds where water would have stored for the boilers. Although the project would have been to dig Drybrook Sandstone or Crease Limestone and extract the iron ore from it. Crease Limestone was a light grey crystalline rock rich in iron ore. Apparently the mine machnery was sold in 1907. |
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