Oakwood Deep Level

aka Oakwood Mill Deep Level


Iron Mine

Worked from 1878 to 1903

Jan 1st, 2024 from NMRS by Buddle-Bot



Forest of Dean
Bream
51.753953, -2.580876
SO 6000 0630
Open Access
111m
#11,982


In 1825, David Mushet (1772-1847) drove this level to access the iron ore deposits beneath Bream. These levels were typically constructed on a slight incline, usually at a ratio of 1 in 300, facilitating the easy removal of water and laden wagons. This particular level winds its way for 5,500 feet and terminates at A, 339 feet deep. Its total production amounted to 150,000 tons before it was abandoned in 1884. The current entrance, now overgrown, is a cutting near the road, approximately 100 yards from the Miners Arms Inn in Bream. The entrance, though steep, small, and often muddy, requires caution, especially in wet weather, where a 50-foot rope can be beneficial. Upon descent, a series of chambers follows the southwest strike.

To the left lies the Goat Track Route, leading to the bottom level by navigating a 20-foot pitch along a narrow ledge on the right-hand side. Caution is essential due to loose, broken rock. This route rejoins the main level as it turns across dip into the adit. Alternatively, a gentler descent involves descending a tip for 120 feet slightly deeper into the mine. Two hundred feet along the level, a second tip is encountered. Ascending this offers a choice of routes at Pit prop Junction: either through large chambers back to the entrance series or up another tip to a chamber formed by the collapse of a clay bell. Between these main routes down, the level is obstructed by two small falls. During periods of low water levels, a series of chambers just below the level provides a bypass. Water from the adit drains into one of these chambers.

Fifty feet from the level, the adit transitions from the Crease Limestone to the Whitehead Limestone. Between these layers lies a clay band, which sags alarmingly into a small chamber formed by precarious collapse. Caution is paramount in this area. While the surveyed length measures 5,400 feet, the total length is likely double this figure.



Publications (3)

  • (1927); BGS - Mineral Resources of GB (c1920s) Vol X 2nd Ed - Iron Ores - Hematites of Forest of Dean, South Wales; 115 pages
  • Oldham, A.D. (2013); Mines of the Forest of Dean and Surrounding Areas; pp. 30
  • Sopwith, Robert (2001); PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) 14-6 Win - Thomas Sopwith and the Forest of Dean, 1832 to 1841; 4 pages (46-49)





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