Purdah Blog Part 2: Excelsior Woods

Ignoring the context, we are settling into a not unpleasant routine of self-isolation, with a lot of help from some good weather. Pottering the house and garden doing some jobs, going for a walk late afternoon, observing the correct degree of separation, of course, and then settling down for the evening. Early days yet but off to a good start.

This evening's walk - around 1.5 miles - took us down to a nearby ford and then up and around Excelsior Woods, also known as Deer Park Woods. Way back in the 1300s, the original Duke of Cornwall did have a deer park - Kerribullock - around here. Nowadays the only remaining signs of this are some stretches of the original boundary wall.

A surprising find - a currant bush of some sort.

In these woods it's really not difficult to keep 6 foot from anyone we may come across, but we didn't.

The name, Excelsior Woods comes from this mine. The tunnel was driven with the intention of intersecting the North Engine Shaft of Kit Hill Mine (situated near the stack at the summit of the hill) at a point 660 feet below the surface. This would have drained the mine around the shaft and the ³⁄₄ mile long tunnel may have cut through a number of undiscovered tin and copper lodes that were believed to exist beneath Kit Hill.
Miners began driving the 8’X 8’ tunnel in about 1880 but a shortage of funds led to the abandonment of the tunnel a few years later when it was only half way to North Engine Shaft. Work was recommenced on a smaller scale in the late 1930’s under the auspices of a local chemist and tin miner Captain George Moor. An air compressor for working rock drills was installed near the entrance, with an air line to the working face 2100 feet in, while there were hand-operated fans and their associated trunking to provide fresh air and to clear smoke from the tunnel after blasting. A single line tram road ran the length of the tunnel.
Captain Moor continued the tunnel southward for a short distance at a reduced size but it was then abandoned and attention switched to reworking the old mine dump area near the entrance for Wolfram. This dump was worked out by 1941 and a small shaft was then sunk at the southern end of the wood which yielded some wolfram. By 1942 new plant had been installed on the site and it’s recorded that at least two tons of Wolfram were recovered. The project was, however, short lived and all mining ceased by 1946. There was some further development of the shaft by Nthe ew Consols Mine at Luckett in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s but in 1954 it was found to be abandoned and no further mining has taken place since that date

Looking into the tunnel. With a decent pair of wellies, it's possible to go in quite a way. I've done this once but could only go so far as I didn't have a headlamp with me. Something for the future. And a reminder from the past: the infamous Dark Arch at Bedwas Pit (see here to find out more. It's spooky).)

Just listen to the water dripping off the walls. You can also make out some birds chirping in the background and Mrs P yawning.

More water. Sounds lovely...……..

 

………..but needs some careful negotiation on the way back. The best way is straight across.

Hooray, our Magnolia stellate is coming into blossom.

And the sun goes down in the west.