Notes and Inpressions of Jingler Mine, Wakebridge, Crich

Vol. 3. no. 1.
August 1966.
PP·
5e -·62
58
NOTES AND IMPRESSIONS OF JINGLER (OR ROLLEY) MINE,
WAKEBRIDGEr CRICH.
by
NEVIL GRIDORY
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National Grid Ref: SK.339555.
A plan .of the surface veins of Crich Cliff and in the Private Liberty
of Barker's Field, Plaistow Field and Wakebridge ranged out by Mr. W. Frost
in October 1834 gives the name Rolley Mine to this shaft, bµt nearly a
hundred years later, it ha� become well known locally as the Jingler Mine.
Across the highway from Holloway to Crich, to th� east, stand a pair of
This is
modern dwellings and at the rear are remains of old building.s.
It therefore
said to be the remains of Rolley's House and close by a shaft.
seems reasonable to assume that this in all probability was·Rolley's
climbing shaft and that Jingler was the winding shaft for it is said to
connect.
However, the author having no knowledge of the underground workings
of this mine or of its earlier history has had to rely upon local legend.
Fortunately, Mr. L. Davenport was able to supply informatipn from
memory, of the days when he worked at Jingler, firstly, during school
holidays and later on leaving school, when he was employed on the surtace
plant and eventually for a short time, underground, at the beginning of the
1930's.
There are records that show that Jingler worked from 1927 to 1931,
when it finally closed and the number of men working there in 1927 is given
as 6 underground and 6 on the surface, by 1928 it had increased to 9 under­
ground, then 1929 reduced again to 6, but now there were 13 on the surface.
In 1930 only 3 employed in the mine and 3 on the surface, then finally in
1931, 4 underground and 6 on the surface. At this point it is interesting
to note that Wakebridge No.l was working in 1921 and went on more or less
continuously until 1931, when it finally closed.
Here also, there was a
fluctuation of labour over the years and as both mines were owned by the
Derbyshire Fluorspar Company no doubt labour was moved from one to the
other as circumstances made necessary.
The Jingler Shaft, now covered with a concrete cap, is about three
feet in diameter, believed to be ginged with dressed gritstone, it is
drained by the Ridgeway ·sough but when last worked the lower levels were
In 1931 the shaft descended
waterlogged and the true depth is unknown.
There seems no
246 feet, it had a false floor below which was water.
indication that pumping was necessary and one presumes that the water did
. not normally rise above the shaft bottom and drainage by the sough was
adequate ..
The pitch pine headstocks, standing today, some twenty feet high
around the shaft·top, are surmounted by a cast iron wheel 2ft. 6ins. in
diameter over which passed the finch steel haulage rope to the cage, which,
was similar to the one still in existence at the Glory Mine.
Shaped like
an iron cylinder with part of the upper half cut away to enable a man to
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climb in and sit upon a crossbar.
The lower half had a 'V' shaped base,
one side hinged and held in place by a catch o
This carried the crude ore,
which, upon releasing the catch p allowed the door to open and the contents
to fall into a box - car on rails positioned beneath the upheld cage and
spanning the open sbaft o
A cross-timber on the headstock frame just below the wheel supported
two 10 mm. steel guide ropes which passed through loops on the sides of the
cage and terminated at the shaft bottom 9 they prevented the cage from
spinning and held it from swinging or hitting the shaft side.
Evidence can be seen on the headstocks of the wire and lever band
operated bell signalling system used to communicate between the shaft
bottom and the man operatimg the winch hauling the cage o
About 15 feet on the south side of the main headstock frame stood the
haulage drum which was a unit not uncommon in areas where small mines
operated, being a central winding drum driven by two cylinders, positioned
one at each side of the drum and powered by steam.
There was also the
alternative of driving this winch by compressed air 9 useful when a fault
occurred or maintenance was being carried out on the steam raising boiler e
The whole of the shaft top installations were enclosed within a
building mainly of corrugated stael sheets (No o l on plan) with the
exception of the upper part of the headstocks, which projected through the
roof. Apart from this particular building the main building was the jig
shed, built mainly of wood with a wooden boarded roof 9 felt covered, and
the sides corrugated sheets upon a timber frame o
On the closing of
Jingler Mine this shed "Was moved to Golconda where it stands today housing
goods awaiting despatch.
The other buildings were of the same materials
but in the main were erected on the lean-to principle grouped about the
jig shed.
Power for the winding drum was provided by a coal fired vertical
steam raising boiler and this was supplied with town water (J) o
The ore-dressing plant was powered by one single cylinder horizontal
gas e�ine, said to be about 50 h o P e and cooled by two cylindrical water
tanks {2).
Both �as (coal gas) and water (marked 14 and 13 on plan} were from
the mains {town} supply and the mine office had gas lighting.
An adjoining
lean-to building (12) housed the compressor, driven directly from the gas
engine but details of the machine itself are so far uncertain although it
is believed to have been a twin cylinder, crank driven, piston type of
compressor operating at about 100 lbs. per square inch, the output in
cubic feet per minute unknown o
It provided air for Jack Hammers in the
mine, i.e. compressed air drilling 9 perhaps even an air winch if inclines
were employed o
The men would however work mainly with pick, shovel,
wheelbarrow and tram haulage o
The logwasher (4), 16 feet long, lying in a bed made by itself 16ft.
by Jft. was surrounded by a very low gritstone wall to hold the ore.
The
tail of the log was probably loose, having no bearing as is quite comn.on­
place, but guided by pieces of wood let into the wall so that should a
large stone or piece of bard material get stuck the log would be free to
lift and ride over it rather than break something and by its own weight the
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It was chain driven to prevent slipping.
log would maintain its bed.
The primary drive was probably taken from the compressor shed (12) to
the logwasher and these twos together with the crushing rolls (io) would
require considerable power to drive them and belting would slip (Vee belts
were not yet common), but transmitting power by belt and pulleys to the jigs
and screens would be relatively simple o
From the logwasher drive, which had a small rotary screen fixed to its
end, power was taken to the cru.shing rolls p the picking belt and to the
overhead shafting into ·the main building where belts and pulleys transmitted
power to the main battery of five Ji$s each of four bays (5) 9 the lead jig
(6), the two concentrating tables (7) and the overhead rotary four panel
screen (giving five sizes) (8), then the bucket elevator (9).
Jingler Mine at this period, 1920 9 s to J0 9 s 9 was worked mainly for
fluorspar, barytes was produced but usually only in small quantities and
sent to Golconda for grinding, there was always a varying amount of calcite
which was together with any limestone thrown onto the waste tip.
Galena
The output is unknown for this period,
was more or less a by-product.
mine records were of course kept but as they are hand written pocket book
type, are rather personal and the owners do not wish to release them at this
stage.
From the shaft top a set of rails carried a small box-car, loaded as
This was pushed by band to the logwasher
described, from the mine cage.
and it's contents shovelled into the 'low end', being below floor level.
The spiralling of the washer blades as the ore is first pushed forward, then
dropping back to the next blade s to be pushed forward again and each time
travelling a little higher up the log troughs gradually breaks up any clay
present and the jets of water from above the log continuously flushing dirt
and sandy material back to the low end and out to a settling pond, the
clean material being pushed gradually over the high end of the log into
the rotary screen where lumps pass out of the end onto the picking belt.
Two men or boys band sorted the barytes into a wheelbarrow, the limestone
and calcite onto the tip whilst the lump fluorspar continued on the belt
to fall onto the loading dock via the chute.
Meanwhile gravel passing
through the screen mesh fell into the crushing rolls was reduced in size,
picked up by the bucket elevator, carried into the main building where a
rotary screen overhead delivered five sizes to the main jigs by inclined
chutes, water propelling the material along.
In this process of separation the galena bearing ore was passed along
water fed channels to an adjoining lean-to shed where a lead jig removed
the galena in several sizes which on 'tapping' the jig s was drawn off into
wheelbarrows and stockpiled.
The 'fines' were pumped to two concentrating
tables and left the tables by small chutes directed into metal boxes which
were emptied from time to time onto a 'belland' stockpile.
The main jigs were elevated to allo'W small 'Jubilee' type side tipping
tru.cks to pass beneath the level of the •tapping plugs'.
When full these
trucks were pushed by band to the turntable and along the tramway to the
second turntable where their contents could be tipped out, down the chute
Fluorspar on the loading
-·-·�-�:�:!'..ejects were carried, onto the waste tip.
· dCJ·ck was band loaded onto horse drawn carts and conveyed to Wbatstandwell
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Railway Station, by way of the track downhill to Robin Hood, there to be
tipped into goods waggons.
Later, motor transport took over and the route
was then via the road toward Crich, but turning right down the lane through
Coddington and so to Whatstandwell.
The Brook, flowing southward from Varker Field, follows the line of the
fault for some distance, passing Wakebridge Chimney Shaft or (often referred
to as) Wakebridge No.2 then on past Wakebridge No.l with its Engine House
and below it passes beneath the road to skirt the Jingler Tip where it
gradually turns westward, eventually passing close to disused" gritstone
quarries at Robin Hood. From here it flows beneath the road from Holloway
to Whatstandwell, to join the Derwent after some water at least, by design
or accident, has found its way into the Canal.
Although there was only a small dreHing plant at Jingler, a
considerable quantity of water would be required.
To supply this a dam
was bu.ilt just west of the house, formerly the agent's house and office,
(when these mines were part of the Nightingale Estate) and to the north of
Wakebridge No.I shaft on the brook course.
The outlet was a 9" pipe feeding
a J" supply line (iron pipes) lying in the brook and following its course
beneath the road onto the Jingler site where it was fed into the circuit.
Channels in the floor took away the spillage from the jigs, the logwasher
slimes passed from the tail of the log and collectively these waters passed
through a pipe which was supported on a trestle over the bridle path and
brook to settling dams in Oxhay Wood.
After depositing the sediment the
clear water was allowed to flow back into the brooko
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Mr. L. Davenport of Crich for his invaluable help and to
Mrs. P. E. Lunn, M.I.P.S., also Mr. I. J. Brown, A.M.I.Min.E. for their
The author also wishes to
guidance and information on the Crich area.
thank: the landowner, Mr. Hodgkinson and the mine owners, Derbyshire
Fluorspar Company, for allowing access to the property.
Rowan Cottage,
2 Chapel Lane,
Holloway,
Nr. Matlock, Derbys.
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Manuscipt received:
lOth January, 1966.
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Headgear and Winding Engine
�as Engin_e with cooling tanks
Steam Raising Boiler
Logwasher
Main Jig Shed
Lead Jig
Classifying Table•
Rotary Screens
Bucket Elevator
Crushing Rolls
Screen at end of Log
Compressor
Mains Water Supply
Mains Gas Supply
Items taken from the plan of 18)4.
Gateway of path to Robin Hood
Gateways into Mine " Yard
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'TO PIAN OF JINGLER SURFACE D�ING PLANT
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