Groverake Mine, Weardale, County Durham

Welcome to another blog entry at ashleycorr.com

A few months ago I found out about an abandoned mine on the outskirts of County Durham. I asked my friend Wikipedia for a brief insight to Groverake and this is what he came back with ...

The Groverake mine site is pretty much located at the convergence of three major veins, Greencleugh, Groverake and Red. The Burtree Pasture vein also continues to this point.
Mining at Groverake probably started in the 18th century, but it was the Beaumont Company who first developed major mining operations at the site at the end of the 1810's and they continued working the mine until the early 1880's. They drove adits and the two major shafts on the site that reached the Great Limestone. At their time they where mining for lead ore, but this was not that successful in terms of output. When the Weardale Lead Company took over the mine in the mid 1880's they had more success with mining for lead and they also mined for fluorspar. The spar operations had problems in the removal of silica and this limited its success. The mine changed hands a number of times until the 1940's.

It was not until the Second World War when the Blanchland Fluor Mines Ltd took over operations and eventually British Steel Corporation that the production of fluorspar ramped up with improved treatment techniques. These companies took Groverake to being the leading fluorspar producer in the ore field. British Steel drove a new level and extended the existing shafts. The Rake level was re-driven to give access to the upper levels of the veins and the Firestone level driven for access to the lower levels. The Drawing Shaft was sunk further into the Great Limestone to a depth of 91m. The Whimsey Shaft was sunk to the Three Year Limestone to a total depth of 165m.

In the late 1980's the Weardale Minerals and Processing Company acquired the mine, but in 1991 its parent company went into receivership resulting in another change of hands. The mine was then operated by Sherburn Minerals and worked until 1999. At the time of its final closure, Groverake was the last commercial fluorspar mine operating in the North Pennines.

The site is approximately a one hour drive from my home, through the heart of County Durham and into the sticks that is the countryside of Weardale. There is still remnants of our mining heritage scattered around the county today, and the route to Groverake exposed quite a few ruins and reminders of yesteryear, which was fascinating to see. This was my first visit into Weardale with the camera, so I was quite excited to make some pictures of the area, especially Groverake Mine, which was the focal point of this visit. I drove through Stanley, Annfield Plain and Tow Law, before closing in on Frosterley, Eastgate and Rookhope. From here it was only a short drive to the mine, passing the ruins of Wolf Cleugh Farm, along the valley. We parked at the top of the valley that overlooks the site, which is dominated by the remaining winding gear, which was a rusting hulk of structure that had withstood the test of time.

As the site is public access, it was a simple case of undoing the latch on  the gate before walking down the bank and into an olde worlde existence, despite its desolation. You could almost hear a pin drop. I stood for a moment to reflect. I almost felt like I'd been transported back through the decades to a time when this place was thriving. I could almost hear the noise of workers and the smell of industry, the operation in full flow, just as it would have been. Horses and carts, bellowing chimneys on the nearby stone houses. Then I reminded myself for a split second ... of the death that happened in 1989, and my work was not done. It was almost a pilgrimage of sorts, a visit to understand what went on here and why it no longer operates. A sign of the times, let there be no doubt. Time stops for no man.

I explored the site for an hour or so, often sitting down and simply looking at what lay before me. I could here the loose corrugated metal rattling every time the wind got up, which added to the feeling that was quite sad in a way. The workers quarters stood to my left, minus a roof, plus a set of lockers. On closer inspection I noticed reminders of the past, including an old pair of steel capped boots, cigarette boxes, clocking in cards and a bash hat. Rafters above my head threatened to collapse at any given moment - that was obvious. Not wanting to become a victim, I got out of there and continued to explore. This place was going take more than one or even two visits to get around properly, so I took a few shots and made my way back to the car. It was indeed an eye-opener, a fascinating place steeped in mining history. I must return and return soon. Unfinished business!

Ash

Return To Marsden Bay

After an excellent dawn light show at St. Mary's Island three weeks ago, I finished my outing with a quick stop off at Marsden Bay before heading home. It was around 6.30am when I parked up on the cliff top, before walking down the 100 or so steps to the beach - where is the elevator when you need it, he he. I had the bay to myself, which was a bit surprising as I expected to see one or two other photographers on the sands, or at least the odd dog walker. As usual I stopped at the bottom of the steps for a while and checked out the tide, sun position, etc, before stepping onto the rocky, pebbled beach, which was a bit awkward under foot. I might as well have been wearing slippers judging by the wafer thin soles on me willies, which didn't offer much in the way of protection. Good job I wasn't in company, they would have had a good laugh watching me negotiate those rocks! It was a very mild morning and the sea was calm, with little or no incoming waves, so I ran off a few long exposures and made my way back towards the Grotto pub at the foot of the steps. Back on flat ground I turned to face the huge stack that is Marsden Rock and eyed up one last shot before heading back up the steps. I composed this one with a nice foreground feature of a massive rusty anchor, which was propped up by the Grotto wall. Some nice subtle colour in the sky added a lovely backdrop, so with my gear in place, all I had to do was trip the shutter. Not much more to add, other than I was in and out within fifteen minutes or so. Mind you, that climb up the steps left iz paggered and ready to jump back into bed! Job done...


More photo's to come..
AC

Roseberry Topping (Via Newton Woods)

There hasn't been any photography activity this weekend so it would seem a good a time as any to catch up with another blog entry. I've got stacks of photo's on the back burner, from recent outings with the camera, so it's a case of getting them all uploaded to my blog page as soon as I can. Another set ticked off the list today, in the form of Bluebells, and lots of them! Two trips to Roseberry Topping in mid-May yielded some nice shots of the blue carpet, right across the meadow and pasture, towards the hill in the background. My first visit was an early evening affair and upon arrival I had been beaten to the box seat by another six photographers. This came as a surprise, although I never expected to have the plot to myself, I had an inkling one or others may well be in my company at some point. These fella's were by no means novices, judging by the banter and not least, their kit. It was full frame all the way along the back fence of the meadow. A gang of camera robbers would have made an absolute killing. The sun eventually broke through the clouds, just I was set up, so the first few frames were captured in the evening sun. Nice colour bathed the meadow and in turn brought the colourful hue from the bluebells right into our faces. After a minute of sun it was gone again, seeking refuge behind the cloud cover to our left. At this point the posse was joined by Andy Redhead, another photographer from Bishop Auckland, who I first met on a dawn visit to Buttermere, which to date remains one of my most memorable photography outings.

We waited for the sun to show again as it dropped towards the horizon, ready to set. We were out of luck. One by one we packed up and headed out, back through Newton Woods and on to the steep descent to ground level and eventually the car park. At least I had bagged a few nice ones, albeit during one minute of a 90 minute stay in the meadow. Oh well, owt is better than nowt, as they say. I got back home around 10.45pm, rather knackered after a days work before the 80 mile round trip for some photography. I intended to get another trip under my belt before the Bluebells died off, so it was a simple case of watching the weather for favourable conditions. And it wasn't soon before I made the second trip South, accompanied by Billy Short, friend and rookie photographer. The last two shots in this blog entry were taken during visit two, one of them ending up as a mock magazine cover (below). It was composed with magazine in mind - I think it works quite well. I gave Billy an insight into graduated filters, giving him a free run of my Lee grads, and  he commented later that they made all the difference to his shots, which was nice to know. The sun spread so evenly over the landscape that the filters weren't required for the best part, but as the sun dropped behind cloud cover they came into play, balancing the exposure as required, using 1,2 and 3 stop grads.

It only took two visits to bag these nice shots. On my first trip one the other photographers said he'd visited over the last 7 days in the hope of catching the light, which he never did until that very night we all stood alongside eachother. The things you do to grab the shot you want, eh. Oh well, been there and got many t-shirts!
Until the next time...
AC

As always, click an image to reveal enlarged version...

St. Mary's Lighthouse, Whitley Bay

It's time to unveil my latest sunrise photographs, taken at St. Mary's Lighthouse, near Whitley Bay. I know I've mentioned this once or twice previously, and I'll make this one the last - it was at this location that my Canon 5D2 bit the dust on the rocks after a gust of wind. The tripod blew over as my back was turned and the rocks did the rest. I was out of action for 5 weeks, during which time my camera was away for repair and it never returned, deemed 'Beyond economical repair'. My insurance company replaced the camera with a brand new 5D3, much to my disappointment... NOT!  I was chuffed to bits. Everyone loves a happy ending. And so the new chapter begins. The 5D2 was my dream camera, so when I finally got my hands on one I was a very happy bunny. 5D3 was always a pipe dream, until now. Getting my hands on this spec was more than I ever imagined and it's fair to say I have now reached the top of the tree, camera wise. It's now up to me to get the very best from it's capabilities. It's gonna be a challenge and I don't feel as if I'm punching above my weight, not at all. Let's just see what's round the corner...

As I get to grips with all my new camera has to offer, it seemed a good idea to return to the fateful location that is St. Mary's Lighthouse. A kind of unfinished business, shall we say. A summer sunrise and a 3.30am alarm call. Now that was a first. I had only had two hours sleep after a late Saturday night, so I was rather knackered as I drove out of Houghton toward the A19 and Tyne Tunnel. Arriving at St. Mary's at 4.40am in time for a 5.00am sunrise, there was already colour showing in the sky and I was hopeful of even more as shooting time approached. There was one other guy on site, already set up and pulling in shots. He warned me that the tide was rapidly incoming, so I kept out of wet reach and opted for safe haven on the causeway steps as the sun was about to rise. I dotted about, not wanting to bag a whole set of shots from one viewpoint. And here is a small selection of them. A stunning light show and what a way to return to a location which holds bad memories of my last visit, now banished and well forgotten, judging by the shots shown here.

Cheers, Ash

Saltwick Bay, North Yorkshire Coast

Following on from my recent Whitby blog entry, here is the latest instalment featuring Saltwick Bay. The Bay is a north east-facing bay situated 1 mile south of Whitby. Above the bay is Whitby Holiday Park, where we stayed over the course of a weekend in May, with the Cleveland Way cliff top path running through it. Access to the beach is via a footpath just beyond the park's gate. The path has suffered from some erosion and in places can be quite steep and also very slippery when wet. The path leads down to the sandy beach which gives way to rock and slate scar at either end. To the left is Saltwick Nab and to the right is Black Nab. If fishing from either end, be aware of the tide, as it travels quickly across the scar. The beach and rocks reveal much of Saltwick's alum mining past, and it is also a great venue for finding fossils. Saltwick Bay has many photographic opportunities due to its North-East facing coastline. This means that at the height of summer the sun sets over the sea when looking North-West as well as rising over the sea when looking North-East. In this respect, this small part of the Yorkshire coastline is unique in the whole of Northern England. The Bay also has a sandy beach either side of which is a flat, shale shelf (the Southern and Northern Shelves). These shale shelves are littered with texture-filled (and possibly fossil-filled) shale rocks. On the southern shelf is the local icon “Black Nab” and the remains of the wreck of the 'Admiral Von Tromp'. On the Northern Shelf is the other local Icon 'Saltwick Nab', which from a distance makes the outline of a whale.

I was out of bed bright and early to catch a sunrise on our second full day at the Holiday Park. It was a bit of a wash out to be honest, with very little colour on offer as the sun rose and quickly disappeared behind the low bank of cloud cover on the horizon. The tide was advancing at a fast rate so I kept this in mind as I photographed from a position at the cliff foot (see top photo). Because of the lack of sunrise I was back up the steep cliff path and back to the caravan within an hour of leaving it behind. Infact, no sooner was I back in the caravan and my head was down once again. Can't beat an already warm comfy bed. The Mrs was none the wiser! On the way back to the caravan I was already planning a return visit to the bay later that day, when the tide had retreated. The mission was to find the wreck of The Admiral which I had read about on the internet earlier in the week. I knew it was located somewhere in a hole on the Southern Shelf, so plans were made and later put into action. On our return the tide was way back, leaving the path clear to explore the bay in greater detail. Firstly I took a few black and white shots, one of which you can see in this paragraph. 

A ten minute walk along the Southern Shelf was all it took to get our first glimpse of the ship wreck. The mangled metal, twisted and eroded stuck out like a sore thumb and it was no time at all before we were on site of the mysterious remains.  The Admiral Von Tromp was a fishing vessel from Scarborough which came aground during a storm in 1976 with the loss of 2 lives. Not much of it remained, although the curved bow was instantly recognisable as it sat slumped to one side in the hole. Remnants of the engine sat nearby, covered in limpets, offering a reminder of its sorry state. Black Nab sits in the background of my third shot (shown here). At high tide the nab resembles that of a submarine floating near the sea surface. I walked out to the Nab to take my final shot (below). The colourful flat rock formation is quite an eye catcher as you walk along the ridge to the Nab, which rises approximately 18 feet to its tip.

The kids were more than happy to scan the rock pools as I photographed nearby. After landing a few crab they had to be persuaded to leave the beach! Even the lure of Fish n' Chips wasn't enough to get them walking instantly - they would've stayed there all day if I had let them. It was a nice way to kill a couple of hours, that's for sure. I'd like to return to Saltwick Bay for another crack at sunrise photography. I imagine this place would look the part with a good sunrise, especially at low tide when I can get the shipwreck in the foreground. But that's one for another day. Until then I'll keep this place on my list of places to revisit. It's certainly worth that...

Until next time, Ash

Whitby, North Yorkshire

Hello again!
Whitby is one of those places you never get sick of visiting. This North-Yorkshire fishing town is approximately 65 miles driving distance from our home, which isn't too bad for a day out when you don't wanna be in the car too long. We were booked into a caravan park not far down the coast from Whitby, on the cliff tops at Saltwick Bay. The weather was fine with lots of sun to be had - just what you want on a May Bank Holiday weekend. The backpack was stuffed and I was more than ready to put in some photography, which was what I did around the family thing. The new camera was getting another run out and I hoped to pull in some good shots on land and coast, with one or two dawn shots on the wish list. The photo's here are a bit of a mixed bag. Everything from low-light evening shots to first light long exposures, with a bit of picturesque in between. Without further ado...

My first shot (above) was taken on one of the piers in Whitby Harbour, around 7am. I had the place to myself, give or take the odd dog walker or two. This is a 40 second long exposure using a Lee Big Stopper to smooth out the wet stuff and a 0.9 Graduated ND filter to hold back the detail in the sky. Some nice lead in lines from the wooden boards guides the eye into the frame from foreground to background and nice cool tone of blue finishes the shot off quite nicely. I took another shot, closer to the lifebuoy on the right, then converted it to mono, but left the lifebuoy as red with a little colour splash technique. My first attempt at this and I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not, but it upped the keeper rate so it avoided the recycle bin. My second shot was taken on the West side of Whitby Harbour, on the promenade opposite the Magpie Restaurant. Looking across the water towards Sandgate, this shot shows the houses and rooftops which nestle in front of the cliffs. The tour operating Pirate Boat returns to berth against the harbour walls below where I was shooting from.

No visit to Whitby would be complete without visiting the Abbey. My visit was a little different from the norm though. I took one or two shots from outside the walls of the Abbey but distance didn't really do them justice. Of course the Abbey was closed to the public as it was around 10pm by this time. I thought 'Frig this' and hopped over the wall as a naughty boy would do and then made my way over to the Abbey in almost pitch darkness. I grabbed a few shots and got my arse back over the wall. Job done. Who dares wins. A bit of fearless photography never hurt anyone, he he. This shot shows yours truly on his covert operation, hiding in the shadows and capturing the Abbey on memory card, before the Gissy's showed up and hoyd me in the back of the meat van. Of course, that never happened as I was in and out like a flash (no pun intended).

And finally, another dusk shot of the boats moored in Whitby Marina. The last shot of the night and not a bad way to finish before heading back to the caravan to put my feet up. Grabbed some Fish n' Chips en route and it wasn't long before my arse was sat down and me belly was full. Watched the end of 'War Of The Worlds' with the little fella's, then had a flick through todays shots on the camera. A few hours kip then it's another early start at Saltwick Bay, a place I haven't previously visited, and only five minutes walk down the bank from our caravan. Very nice. Back soon with photo's from The Bay. Catch ya later...

Ash

Pea Soup

The term 'As thick as Pea Soup' is often connected with fog. Last week I photographed one or two locations in thick fog with very low visibility, which was down to 50 metres at best. I've never been one for taking my camera into the fog to be honest, as those type of mysterious shots never really appealed, until recently. I don't need an excuse to get out with my new 5D3 these days, as the sheer experience of handling it is enough to get the creative cogs spinning in my head. It really is a remarkable piece of kit and I've only just scratched the surface regarding its capability, which again is quite exciting to know that there's a lot more to this camera than firsts meets the eye. When I test out the camera in various conditions and situations I'll be posting a full teardown review of it here on my blog page. Even then, it's one thing to mention the tools within its box, but another to actually try these tools out, so hands on is something I'm looking to and I've got every intention of getting into the nuts and bolts of my new toy. First impressions are as impressive as I expected and I hope the further in depth I go, the results are equally as good. But back to that uninviting bowl of Pea Soup...

As I say, I'm not one to photograph foggy scenes, but that will surely change as and when, after pulling in a few decent shots last week. I visited four locations in one afternoon, which were Copt Hill Barrow (Houghton le Spring), Seaham Harbour, Littlehaven (South Shields) and Newcastle Quayside. The middle two locations threw up next to nothing in the way of photo opportunities, mainly due to very poor visibility, but Copt Hill and Quayside offered me at least a crack at it. Here are a few photographs from my outing...

1. Tyneside Commute - It's fog on the Tyne, during an early evening rush hour on the Millennium Bridge.

2. Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring (Seven Sisters)

3. Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring (Seven Sisters), re-processed

That's all for now. I'll be back shortly. Feel free to check out my new 'Hadrian's Wall' gallery at
ashleycorr.com    Cheers!    Ash

Welcome Back!

November 2013 seems a long time ago now. It was the last time I updated my Blog page before the big overhaul at ashleycorr.com. Now that my site is up and running once again I hope to restore normality in the shape of new updates on Blogger, starting from today, with news of recent changes. Firstly, my Canon 5D2 went to the Canon graveyard last week after it took a tumble on the rocks near St. Mary's Island, Whitley Bay. A gust of wind swept my tripod off its feet, taking the camera with it, face down in a rock pool. It suffered water damage despite the fact that my filter holder took the brunt of the impact. The attached lens was unmarked, although it needed recalibrating through my insurance broker. The camera and lens were away for five weeks, although it seemed much longer then that. Being without a camera for that amount of time wasn't a happy experience, but what can ya do? Eventually the camera body was deemed 'Beyond economical repair' and as the 5D2 had been recently phased out, my insurance company replaced it with a 5D Mk III, which I was over the moon about. The 5D2 was the camera I had wanted to get my hands on for a few years, not even considering the 5D3 because of its hefty price tag, so to own one now goes above and beyond what I expected to run with. Although I've had the new camera for slightly over a week now, I still haven't been out to test it in the field, but that will be corrected during the next few days as I have more time to play with. Having flicked through the menu settings on the 5D3 I must say that my initial findings are very impressive. Lots of upgraded features, lots of head scratching too, which seems to be part and parcel with these things, no matter how many user manuals you have ticked off the list.

Currently looking at new tripods too. The trusty Manfrotto took a clout on those rocks, although I need to be more vigilant in those kind of situations. One thing is sure, it will only happen once!

Also dabbling with new image software in the form of Google's excellent plug-in's for Photoshop - Nik Collection. Some really interesting stuff bundled with it.

And that's about it for now. I'll have my Blog page restored to former glory in the very near future, bringing you more of my escapades form my trips into the depths of God's Country and beyond. Until then, welcome back!

Ash