PROGRAMME OF LECTURES - 2025
SATURDAY - 28th JUNE
09:00 Introduction
09:15 Rob Vernon: John Taylor and Sons' "Golden Years" in India
John Taylor and Sons are well known as mine owners, managers and consultants. Undoubtedly, their most successful ventures are associated with the Kolar Goldfield, Karnataka, India.
It was a Welshman, John Taylor III, born at Cilcain, Flintshire, who would convince shareholders that it was worth spending the last £13,000 of capital on development work at the Mysore Gold Mine, which led to a rich gold discovery. Later generations of the family, some born in Wales would continue to be involved with the management of the goldfield. The mines were eventually nationalised in 1956, and Taylors' association with them finished a few years later. Mining ceased in 2001.
In March 2024 and 2025, visits were made to the Kolar goldfield, and it was of no surprise to see the machinery that still survived, some bearing the imprint, 'Sandycroft' the Taylors' Foundry in North Wales.
The talk will give some background of the Taylors' involvement with the Kolar Goldfield, and provide some detail of the machinery, some manufactured in Wales.
10:15 Mark Hatton: How Elizabethan Mining Created Modern Britain
A talk that explores the claim that German Miners who came to Britain in the 1560’s introduced Capitalism to Britain. These Miners demonstrated the potential benefits of combing large scale private capital, advanced technology, new management techniques & a legal system designed to protect shareholder interests. The arrival of these Miners marks a watershed between an inefficient agrarian economy with low productivity and a modern industrial economy with the potential to create much greater levels of enterprise & wealth.
11:05 Kevin Smith: Photogrammetry – A New Angle on Exploring Mine Heritage
We will explore the use of emerging photogrammetric based technologies in the recording, monitoring and preservation of mining heritage, and demonstrate its use, drawing on examples from recent work at Nenthead mines and from across the North Pennines.
Summary
Photogrammetry is a scientific technique that extracts precise geometric and spatial information from photographs, enabling the creation of detailed 3D models or maps of physical objects or environments. By analysing overlapping images captured from varying angles, specialized software identifies common points and uses triangulation to reconstruct the shape, position, and texture of objects or environments, transforming 2D data into accurate 3D representations. The technique is now widely accepted and used in many applications such as topographic mapping and surveying, archaeology, engineering, manufacturing, and increasingly in recording, monitoring and preservation of sites of cultural and industrial heritage. In this paper, we will describe its application to recording and monitoring important mining heritage sites of the North Pennines.
We will briefly describe and illustrate the process of photogrammetry, how to take suitable images, and how to process them to create good quality 3D models. Photogrammetry has evolved significantly in recent years from its early specialist origins into a set of very approachable and cost-effective technologies. Very good results can be achieved using everyday photographic equipment, including mobile phones, and low-cost, even free 3D photogrammetric processing software, making it a very attractive approach for enthusiasts and volunteers. Some of the work described also includes the use of entry level drones and low-cost automated flight planning software to create quite stunning aerial views and models of mining sites. We will also describe how 3D models can be shared and viewed on-line using (free) websites that allow users to both discover and publish 3D content easily and efficiently. A selection of such 3D models from the early pioneering work of the North Pennines National Landscape’s volunteers can be viewed here.
We will describe and demonstrate recent examples of 3D models, ranging from smaller mining artifacts to models of mine buildings and wider site and aerial photography environments. One example is Holms Linn, which was an active lead mining site in East Allendale, Northumberland in the mid-late nineteenth century. It was part of the Blackett level project which was designed to drain and explore the lead mines in the East Allen Valley between Allenheads and Allendale. Similarly, we will show further detailed models of Nenthead mines, including the smelt mill, mine buildings, and areas around the mine entrances. In addition, we will describe the early results of a trial at Nenthead mines for evaluating a new approach and test toolkit for monitoring the condition of outdoor heritage sites using 3D model comparison software. The output of the process includes 3D models of the site, as well as digital colour scale models showing the differences between 3D models showing changes over time, helping to determine where physical damage is taking place. The trial gives us good confidence that the approach is a useful complement to existing site monitoring and surveying activities.
11:55 LUNCH
13:30 Steve Grudgings: Overnight at Ayr Colliery
14:20 Raymond Griffiths: Rock Cannon in North Wales
• What are rock cannon?
• How they were fired
• When they were used and what for
• Layout of cannon, number of holes, channels
• Locations of cannon in N. Wales – slate and stone
• Rock cannon in Britain- Cumbria
• Some notable examples
• Vernacular and "official" cannon
• The Nannau estate cannons
• Non- quarry cannon – Betws y Coed riverside cannon
• Rock cannon at metal mines
• Griff R. Jones’s book
• Issues with the book – listing , how did GR Jones find all the sites?
• Problems with Griff's grid references
• 19th century newspaper reports – royal visits, accidents
• Other sources of information
• My work searching for rock cannon
15:10 Chris Greenwell: Developing Metal Mine Water Treatment Technologies for Sensitive Sites
In 2023 the UK government published its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023. This documented notes that abandoned metal mines are the largest source of metal pollution to English rivers. Following this Plan, there is now a statutory target to, by the end of 2038, halve the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by defined metals from abandoned metal mines, relative to the 2022 level. In Wales, in 2002, a Metal Mine Strategy for Wales was published, addressing the management of the 1311 known non-ferrous metal mines. In late 2024 the Coal Authority, originally tasked to manage the decommissioning of coal mining in the UK, became the Mining Remediation Authority with a wider remit to include delivering abandoned metal mine site remediation. DEFRA engage the Mining Remediation Authority directly, whereas in Wales a strategic joint Metal Mine Programme has developed between Natural Resources Wales and the Mining Remediation Authority supported directly by Welsh Government. Taken together, it is expected that there will be a steep increase in the number and scale of metal mine remediation projects over the next decade. Through the lens of a project that has spanned the last ten years, and which has seen a mine water treatment technology developed from laboratory bench scale, through to several 1000 litre commercial demonstrator trials, this talk will give an overview of metal mine water treatment / remediation in the UK pre-2024 and describe some of the challenges associated with developing metal mine water treatment technologies.
16:00 FINISH
SUNDAY - 29th JUNE
09:15 Alastair Robertson: The Vielle Montagne Zinc Company of Belgium - in Wales
When the VM arrived in Britain in 1896, it took up leases for several mine setts around the north Pennines and seven in north Wales. Although information is scant it seems that the company was active in Wales during the years 1896 to ca1900 before it left to concentrate its activities in Nenthead, Cumberland (as it was then).
The Welsh trials were at Craig-y-Mwyn, Cwm Orog, Cwm Glanafon and Craig Ddu near Llangynog in Powys, Hafna in Conwy, Talargoch in Denbighshire and Holway in Flintshire.
10:15 David Hardwick: Early engine houses in North Wales
David Hardwick is a chartered building surveyor specialising in historic properties and industrial heritage. As a "busman's holiday" from the day job (!!) he has for many years been using those skills to research the development of early engine houses both in the UK and in Europe. Whilst this is an ongoing project, this talk gives an insight into some of the discoveries made so far regarding the design of the building that housed early Newcomen type atmospheric engines. The focus of this talk is on those that were at Mines in North Wales and primarily considers 18th Century structures (although an overview of some surviving later engine houses is also included).
11:00 Clogau Gold: An account of the current search / working for gold in North Wales
An account of the current search / working for gold in North Wales
11:50 LUNCH
13:30 David Hardwick: J. C. Burrow - his photographs in the North Wales slate quarries
In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, Burrow (and his colleague Herbert Hughes) were pioneers of underground photography. In addition to the well-known Cornish photographs, they also took images in coal mines and , of particular relevance to this year's conference, in the underground slate quarries of North Wales. This talk will cover how they came to be taking photographs so far from home and the equipment and methods they used. It also showcases their work by attempting to literally walk in their footsteps, in an attempt to identify where their images were taken. It therefore gives an overview of the slate industry in North Wales at this time using the pictures taken whilst it was in its heyday showing those who were there and what they did (albeit they never saw it as well-lit as these photographs !!).
14:20 Roger Gosling: Toxic Mine Gases, and how to survive them
Roger's talk will explain the different gasses that occur in mines and the effects they have on us. After a bit of early history, methods of detecting various gasses will be explained. Nowadays with electrical and hydraulic machinery, faults can cause newer hazards. Then various methods for how to survive will be discussed. Followed by a short safety video from our NAMHO visit to Birkshead Gypsum Mine in 2023.
15:10 Discussion on the topics presented in the lecture programme
16:00 FINISH
Presentations should be given using PowerPoint. This will simplify proceedings, and will ensure that the lecture programme runs as smoothly as possible.