The Dartmoor Society had a real treat on the afternoon of Thursday 9th June when twenty five of our Members were privileged to enjoy a private tour of Kelly Mine conducted by Nick Walters.
We met at Trenchford Reservoir Car Park and walked down to the mine via Bullaton Farm. We were all given a fascinating insight into both the mining process and the hardships the Miners and their families endured during the working mine’s history.
The miners’ objective was to extract micaceous haematite or shiny ore and one of its major uses was in the production of making very effective corrosion-resistant paint.
Nick showed us the whole site and we were able to follow the various processes from mining the ore, via the adit and the shaft, through the ore washing, jigging and stamping, right up to the final process of drying the precious powder before loading it into barrels for transportation.
The real star of the show was seeing the amazing original Californian stamps in full working order. A fabulous afternoon was had by all.