From 1896 ore supply was running out around the original Slipton tramway. The iron ore started to become under a thicker over burden, this meant looking at mining options instead of the usual surface excavation technique.
The recent closure of lower Sheeps Pen Close was due to the thick overburden issue, this was a prime candidate for the new mining technique.
The deep surface face is where the adit would be driven. The ore body itself had a downwards fault, this supported the start of the mining days. On the 2nd September 1901 John Kinder sent the Drayton estate a letter about the issue of the overburden.
He said they would need to adjust the royalty due to the cost difference in mining to surface mining. In 1902 mining started at Woodfield mine, it was reached by an eastwards branch of the main tramway. Once at the bottom of Lower Sheeps Pen close, the adit could be seen.
It was a 3ft line that served the Woodfield mine, this had to change once reaching the adit as the passages inside the mine was too narrow.
It is suspected there was a tippler dock although there is no proof of this.
HANS WOLF
The Slipton mines differ in respect to many other iron mines, this is because they were designed by a German engineer called Hans Wolf.
Hans arrived in Thrapston on 4th February 1900, he started work driving a tunnel on the 17th of the same month. It appears he had little training but made up for this with strong attention to detail. A Mr Marsh who worked in the Islip works commented I quote : he hung his miners lamp from the roof support as a plumb line, he always kept a envelope in his pocket for setting angles.
The normal method is to bore gallerys with pillars of stone left to support the roof, the side galleries being at right angles. The galleries in Islip are at a 50” angle, this is said to get more stone out. A method employed in the Lorraine coalfield, its possible Hans Wolf had work experience here.
He did bring 4 or 5 other men from Germany for work in the mines. Evidence shows Hans Wolf made errors in Woodfield Mine, there are reports of accidents from roof collapses some fatal, he also had many issues in blasting the ore one of which nearly brought down the 2 cottages on the Drayton estate into the mine!
It appears he learnt from his mistakes, as the later mines he worked, there were less accidents. Woodfield Mine closed on the 29th July 1915 with attention turning to the other Slipton mines.
Some sources of information say the mine had one ventilation shaft, the abandonment plan doesn’t show this though an account from a visitor to the area in 1930 says it could be seen from the road .
Photo property of Nene valley mines
