Dawlish History Day

Dawlish Museum and Dawlish Local History Group invite you to Dawlish History Day, The Strand Centre, Saturday, 10th September from 10:30 to 4:30

Visit to the Kelly Mine near Lustleigh

On Tuesday, 5th July, the Dawlish Local History Group will visit the Kelly Mine, near Lustleigh, and they have invited members of Starcross History to join them.

Please contact Ray Bickel on Dawlish (01626) 863532

 

This was filmed in 2011. Lots of restoration work has since been done

 
KellyMine is a Devon iron mine situated on the eastern flank of Dartmoor near Lustleigh. The mine worked deposits of micaceous iron oxide, also known as MIO, micaceous haematite or 'shiny ore', which is a flaky form of iron oxide, Fe₂O₃. Kelly Mine is one of some ten mines and two or three trials, within the triangle formed by the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead and the village of Hennock, which worked similar deposits

View of part of the mine with two members tidying up. 

The jigger is in the centre with the mill behind it. On the left is a corner of the miner's dry with the washing strips behind it.

The ore has no value for the production of iron but among other uses was found to make very effective corrosion-resistant paint. Fueled by the increased demand for protection of the new steel structures of the industrial age, some Devon micaceous haematite mines survived well into the twentieth century. The paint is still widely produced from ore mined in other countries.

Kelly Mine, although a relatively small mine, is of great significance today as an industrial heritage site. When the mine finally closed in 1951, the company then running the operation was in debt to the land owner for rent and for royalties on the ore extracted. In lieu of payment the company left the machinery on the site. More than thirty years later in 1984, the owner agreed to lease the site to a group of mining enthusiasts.

KellyMine Preservation Society(KMPS) is restoring and preserving this time capsule for future generations; the mine has been refurbished and the machinery and processing plant restored to working order.

Visitors to the site can trace the whole process from mining the ore, via the adit and shaft, to the dispatch of the final product from the drying shed. The ore washing, jigging and stamping equipment is operational as is the other machinery in the mill. The settling tanks, waterwheels and the mine tramway, with its wagons and haulage winch, add atmosphere. There is a small museum, the miner's dry and a display of artifacts from other mines in the area.

Admission free, donations welcome.

There is no underground access.

Oral History

Cliff Wills; a Kelly miner A

Cliff Wills; a Kelly miner B

Dawlish History Day

Dawlish History Day on Saturday 31st October at the Strand Centre.

What do you know about the Dawlish story, and would you like to pass it on to others, or learn a bit more?

Safeguarding the Bernard Chapman Collection

Dawlish Museum and the Dawlish Local History Group are the custodians of the Chapman family's archive of over 4,000 photographs and glass negatives. Mike Ralls, the retiring chair of the Dawlish Local History Group, has digitized the images.

John Southall has also digitized the collection, and 72 important photos from the collection are already online, on the website http://www.time-capsules.co.uk

Does digitizing the images guarantee their preservation? Vint Cerf, vice-president of Google, warns of the forgotten century

 Here's the link to the online Bernard Chapman Collection 
and the  introduction from John Southall:

Bernard Chapman Collection

Bernard Chapman, now in his 87th year, is the 4th generation of Chapman photographers. The company started in 1863 although there is a note in Bernard's Great Grandfather's diary that in 1859 he received 7shillings and six pence for 'photography'. 7/6 is the equivalent of 37.5 of today's pennies! The collection consists of about 1,400 photographs and were put into albums by Bernard in 1963 although it took him 3 ½ years to complete. It is a history of Dawlish from 1863 up to 1963 and covers all aspects of life in the town. Some of the photos are of great importance and not just to Dawlish. I got to know Bernard as a result of my suggesting to the local paper, the Dawlish Gazette, that a weekly 'Then and Now' article might go down well. My investigations led me to Bernard and may I say that he is a great character and a thoroughly nice guy. Bernard has given me carte blanche to use the photos as I like which I consider a very great privilege. It has been suggested to Bernard that the collection is of such importance that it ought to be in a museum although it is now safely on both of my computers and also dvds. John.



At yesterday's meet of the Dawlish Local History Group, Mike Wedlake allowed members a glimpse into this remarkable archive. Here's one of the wonderful images (the one here, and the description, is from the online archive) which Mike projected onto a large screen. He started off with a history of the Chapman family, and pictures of the Victorian photograph printing works.

Description

The photos I am using are a part of the Bernard Chapman Collection. Bernard has granted me full use of the collection with the aim of showing it to as many people as possible.

This photo, dating from c1900, shows the family works, known as The Photo Printing Works, round the back of Dawlish, Devon.
Several members of the family are shown at work even the younger members. The photos are being printed by exposure to the sun outside the works.