Very little is known about Woodford mine. We know however that this was the first ironstone mine in the county. The small amount of ore produced here would start a mining boom in Northamptonshire and introduce new industries which the area previously had not been known for.
Samples of the ore supplied by general Charles George Arbuthnot from his estate adjoining Woodford house, were shown at the great exhibition of 1851. Immediately the columns in the Northamptonshire Mercury started talking about these specimens; a new type of stone was to be extracted which would start a new industry.
Woodford use to be a lovely self sufficient village, this small village already had people with experience the pits, many of its buildings in the village are built using limestone which had been quarried locally. The men who served in those pits were local gentleman from Woodford, Cranford, Twywell, and Slipton. These men worked hard for their money, they did know how to make a extra shilling on the “side”. They use to use horses in the pits and leave the manure in there, they then spread mushroom spores on it. Twice a week they use to harvest the mushrooms and sell them at Covent Garden where the profit was divided by the men.
All of the miners clothing was supplied locally, cobblers from Woodford provided many things they required. Mr Cyril Wilson had a shoe shop on the village green who supplied work boots to the miners and specialised footwear to the foundry workers all of these he made himself.
The original surface mines these men worked at were north of Woodford and north west, the stone produced can be seen in the houses in the conservation area. Occasionally ironstone from the mine was used to provide a decorative banding in the masonry work, providing a distinctive local detail. Much of the surface mining work these men did was for local development, transport of the worked stone was limited at the time. In 1866 this would change due to the introduction of the Midland Railway line from Kettering to Thrapston. On this route a new station was built at Twywell. The Woodford excavations could reach this with the narrow gauge lines.
In 1866 Woodford Iron Co. was formed by General Arbuthnot. A mining journal from 31st December 1870 records mines which were served by a branch tramway 650 yards northeast of the drive of Woodford Lodge. Information for these mine workings we have struggled to find , we have found lots on the local surface mines but none on the mines themselves. Is this because they were short lived ? Or will more information come to light in the future years ?
There is one account from a unknown source who visited the shallow workings “ in the mine the tree roots could be seen securing the roof”
We know today thanks to a photo that a mine did exist which is on private land. The working face is now covered in mud. Dark lines on satellite imagery show the tramways which once served these workings .
Woodford house- scan by Northants archives .
Names of workers are on the back of image , they are as followed .
F Major
G Sanders -G Mayes – E Manning – W Riddle