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.
External Links
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)
Oakwood Mill, Lower - 14m
Oakwood - 131m
Hanghill - 430m
Quab Level - 433m
Oakwood, No.2 - 442m
Chapel Quarry - 463m
Princess Royal - 512m
Drybrook Folly - 565m
Flourmill - 669m
Bream Tufts - 703m
Noxon - 732m
Noxon - 749m
Princess Louise Pit - 880m
New China Level - 893m
Bromley Hill - 900m
Bromley Hill - 902m
Rising Sun Engine - 910m
Princess Royal Pit - 980m
Yew Tree - 1,019m
China Engine Pit - 1,105m
Noxon Park - 1,256m
Hoares Level - 1,325m
Beechen Grove - 1,344m
Park Gutter - 1,431m
Ellwood New Pit - 1,456m
Ellwood - 1,486m
Crabtree Pit Iron Mine - 1,599m
Devil's Chapel - 1,656m
South Oakwood Level - 1,662m
Victoria Pit No 2 Iron Mine - 1,670m
Devils Chapel - 1,721m
Bream Grove (a) - 1,740m
Forget Me Not Iron Mine - 1,749m
Parkhill Level - 1,749m
Bream Grove No.1 - 1,776m
Bream Grove No.2 - 1,782m
South Oakwood Level - 1,808m
Endeavour Pit - 1,907m
Bream Grove - 1,915m
Tufts Level - 1,916m
Venus & Jupiter - 1,935m
Great Western - 1,939m
Arthur's Folly - 1,947m