GC2VNWF:All Mine 1 – Wardle’s North Lode
GC2VNX3: All Mine 2 – Stamp House
GC2VNXJ: All Mine 3 – Beckwith’s Arch and Waterwheel
GX2VNYJ: All Mine 4 – Glen Rushen Reservoir
GC2VNZ8: All Mine 5 – Glen Rushen Miners’ Cottages
GX2VNZF: All Mine 6 – Glen Dhoo Ford
* Keep to the obvious paths and tracks as they were probably used by the miners.
* Due diligence at all times rests with you.
* No cache is buried in or under rock piles or placed in any tricky places.
* There is no need to disturb any rocks. This is a site of late 19th Century industrial archaeology.
* Do not attempt to climb any buildings or structures. Please respect the area.
*The Beckwith's mine area is reasonably safe so long as you stay on the right side of any safety fencing and do not go climbing where you should not.
Small bore shafts in the Beckwith's mine area are usually identifiable as a crater type mound. These depressions are usually fenced and covered with 15 feet of waste in-fill material, on top of pine timbers. They should not be walked upon.
Beckwith's Mine is a lead ore mine with high silver content in places and in 1831 mining operations were started by the Isle of Man Mining Company. In 1881 Mr W Beckwith, whose name is given to the mining in this area, led a company, (New Foxdale Mining Syndicate) to extract lead ore from here. Set against severe flooding of the mine or in times of drought, water shortages to drive the machinery, and finally the geological stresses of the rock formation, the venture proved to be unsuccessful. What you now see are the abandoned mine workings of what was once yielding the 5th largest output of lead from a mine in the UK.
The Washing Floors - are found between the Engine House and Stamp House and consist of
a pit in the centre of the Washing Floors area which contained a small water wheel some 15 feet in diameter (brought from Laxey mines) which was used to work the rotary buddles;. A round horizontal 'buddle or boodle' was used in the process of dressing the ore. As the water was agitated in the buddle, the lighter waste material would be washed away to a tailings pit leaving the lead concentrate to be scooped out.
[We suspect there was plenty of 19th century river pollution going on here! - See GC 4 'Glen Rushen Reservoir' in the 'All Mine' Series]
The Stamp House - All the machinery used in crushing the mined ore was driven by a 40 foot high water wheel. The casing can still be seen on the east side of the building. This wheel was originally brought from Foxdale and reassembled here in 1838. Discharged water from the wheel was used for the Washing Process.
Ore was trammed to the surface and delivered into a wide opening on the upper level of the Stamp House building ready for the start of the dressing process. First it would be fed through a hopper into 'the stamps' which crushed the ore to a pulp. The ore would be moved with running water (as slime) to the Wash Floors and into shallow pits called 'buddles' for refining.