ROSEVALE MINE
Clearing No.1 Level - 1970s
When Rosevale Mine was first re-discovered in the early 1970s only the entrance to No.1 Level was accessible (the entrance to No.2 Level was completely blocked and barely visible). The first work to be carried out by the West Cornwall Mines and Minerals group was to clear some of the falls of ground and collapsed timberwork in No.1 Level. At this time, the tunnel was completely choked near the junction of the exploratory crosscut. All the material that was cleared was disposed of down the open stope into No.2 Level and from there into a flooded winze below.
For a time during the collapsed material at the base of the end stope remained in place and the back of No.1 Level remained flooded. In the mid-1990s it was decided to clear the rest of this blockage and enable access to the back of the mine. A further 50 tons of material was removed and disposed down the open stope into the winze on No.2 Level.
This early photograph was taken during the mid-1970s and shows clearance work in No.1 Level near the exploratory crosscut junction (image courtesy of Bob Orchard)
