Pegasus Caving Club
aka Pegasus Club Nottingham
The gating of ‘Clayton Adit’ and ‘Salts Level’ two entrances to Ecton Copper Mines, Manifold Valley, Staffordshire, in 1966’
by
Bari (Mick) Logan and Cheg Chester, December 2024
Introduction
The major historical importance of the Ecton Copper Mine complex now deemed an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) both above and below ground is very well documented and ongoing with much archive material freely available from various sources, as well as in more recent years, the World-Wide Web.
To add to this large resource, recorded here for posterity, are a series of six high-quality black and white photographs which is thought were most probably taken by Harry Parker who was a freelance journalist and a member of the PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society).
The photographs were discovered in 2024 amongst possessions of Mary Chester who died in June 2024, and wife of the late Gerald Chester who died October 2007. They were both former active members of the Nottingham based Termes and Pegasus caving clubs the latter participating as a team member on the ‘Pegasus 1967 Gouffre Berger Expedition’ in France.
The (photographs) depict a ‘gating’ event which took place on the 10th October 1966 which was organised by John Garratt who at the time was the chairman of the Derbyshire Caving Association and the work involved a joint effort from members of the Nottingham Termes club, PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) and Derbyshire Caving Association.
Reason for Gating
The events leading up to the gating of Salts Level and Clayton adit are covered in a report by Tony Briggs, DCA Access Controller which appeared in the DCA Newsletter Vol 1 No. 5. (New Series) See Report
The Photographs
The [captions below each photograph] are verbatim, taken from typewritten labels which appear on the reverse of each print, with additional information (in italics) identifying where possible, individuals captured in the shot.
[10.7.66 Gating Clayton Adit, Ecton Copper Mines.
Members of the Derbyshire Caving Assn. Preparing to gate the Clayton Adit
at Ecton Copper Mines, Staffs.]
From left to right - ? – Mary Chester - ? – Paul Reavill – Terry Lewis
[10.7.66 Gating Clayton Adit, Ecton Copper Mines.
Terry Lewis (left) and Paul Reavill of the Termes Club mixing concrete for the Clayton Adit gate.]
[10.7.66 Gating Clayton Adit, Ecton Copper Mines.
Gerry Chester, Termes Club, cementing in the gate in the Clayton Adit]
[10.7.66 Gating Salt’s Level, Ecton Copper Mines.
Geoff Holt, Peak District Mines Historical society at work digging out the footings for the Salt’s Level gate.]
[10.7.66 Gating Salt’s Level, Ecton Copper Mines.
The pre-fabricated gate is moved into position.]
[10.7.66 Gating Salt’s Level, Ecton Copper Mines.
D.C.A. Chairman, John Garratt, positions the pre-fabricated gate in the entrance to Salt’s Level before the concrete wall was built.]
Footnote:
Members of the Termes Club Nottingham identified in the photographs were, John Garratt, Gerald Chester, Paul Reavill and Terry Lewis.
The two metal gates were fabricated by Gerald Chester who was an engineer by profession.
Two interesting references to note:
1. ‘The Caves of Derbyshire’ by Trevor D. Ford, 1964, Dalesman Publishing,
105 pp; with a few line drawings. 1st edition (7/6d)
A reference to Ecton Copper Mines appears on page 35 listings six possible entrances into Ecton including Salts Level and Clayton Adit without mention of gated restrictions to any of them.
2. ‘The Caves of Derbyshire’ by Trevor D Ford and David W. Gill, On behalf of the Derbyshire Caving Association, 1984, Dalesman books, 159 pp; with numerous line drawings. (£3:95p)
In this new edition on page 47 there is a much-extended entry for Ecton Copper Mines with more access points and including a full-page surface map pinpointing various entrances. But of particular interest is mention that Salts Level, Dutchman Level and Clayton Adit are all gated and a further comment at the end of the entry clearly states;
Vb, ‘Access to Salts/Deep Ecton and Clayton not allowed. Contact D.C.A. for information’.
Postscript – The Gates today
Recently (December 2024) in an attempt to establish if the original gates still remain in situ, the Derbyshire Caving Association (DCA), who in the past were responsible for gaining access to Ecton Mines, was contacted.
Mike Higgins, the DCA Membership Secretary kindly replied and having done some research supplied the following (3) photocopy extracts taken from the ‘minutes’ of past association meetings which were published in their ‘Newsletter’.
1. DCA ‘Newsletter’ June 1969
12. Any Other Business
1. Vandal Proof-Gates. The Staffordshire police had queried the broken gates on Salts Level and Clayton Adit at Ecton and we realise that we must keep these gated if we are to retain access. Chatsworth Estates had agreed to help with the cost of the gates and Dr Lord of B.S.A. had offered to look at the situation with regard to installing vandal-proof gates so this matter was referred to the Access Controller for appropriate action to be taken.
2. DCA ‘Newsletter’ October 1969
Derbyshire Access Notes.
Ecton Mines. At the moment we are waiting for the new gate to be made for us. The matter is in hand and the gate will be installed as soon as possible.
3. DCA ‘Newsletter March 1970
Derbyshire Access Notes
A new D.C.A. Access Controller.
Please make a note that D.C.A. now has a new Access Controller:
Bill Whitehouse,
Hall Close,
Cossington,
Leics. LE7 8UU. Tel Sileby 2662
All queries regarding access to Ecton Mines Hillocks Mine should be sent direct to Bill at the address above. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope with any request for access.
Ecton Mines are still closed at the moment but we hope to have the new gates on fairly soon now when access will be restored.
Conclusions:
From the above DCA ‘Newsletter’ recorded minutes one can deduce that at some stage between the date that the original gates were fitted (July 1966) and (June 1969) date of first minute’s extract, the gates had been reduced to an unusable vandalised state allowing unrestricted access to Ecton Mines via Clayton Adit and Salts Level.
The concerns raised by the Staffordshire Police and intervention of the Derbyshire Caving Association in 1969 resulted in new vandal-proof gates being manufactured and according to Mike Higgins these were installed between 1970 and 1971.
The final ‘fate’ of the original gates is unknown.
Recent Visit to Ecton – March 2025
An interesting fact has emerged recently when members of the Pegasus Club made a trip to Ecton Mines in an attempt to secure photographs of the current gates. Unfortunately, access to ‘Salts Level’ entrance was not possible due to landowner’s prohibition signage and barbed wire obstructions en-route, but they did manage to take a photograph of the current entrance gate on ‘Clayton Adit’ [see below].
March 2025 – Current gate on entrance to ‘Clayton Adit’, Ecton Copper Mines. Photo: Malcolm Scothon
By comparing the distinct configuration of arched entrance stonework shown in the above photograph with that of [photograph three ] in this article, one can clearly note a distinct similarity suggesting that, on installing, the current gate was ‘inserted’ within much of the original concreting work done by Gerald Chester in 1966.
For the completeness of this article, any contributions of a photograph depicting the current gate on Salts level would be greatly appreciated. (Cheg Chester).
Access to Clayton, Deep Ecton and Salts adits are at present (2025) controlled by the Ecton Mines Education Trust, who acquired the study centre and the mineral rights that used to belong to Geoff Cox after he died in 2003. It is thought that Geoff Cox bought the mineral rights from Chatsworth in the early 70s, so DCA may well have dealt with access prior to that. Details of how to go about access are available at Derbyshire Caving Association - Cave Registry.
With Thanks’ to both Mike Higgins and the Derbyshire Caving Association for their kind help with this article.
Historical Newspaper Cutting – John Garratt – D.C.A.
The additional Newspaper Cutting taken from the daily ‘The Nottingham Evening News’ shows an article under the topical lead heading ‘ON THE SQUARE’. It provides a very interesting insight into John Garratt’s interests and possible intentions as Chairman of the Derbyshire Caving Association in trying to develop one of its’ rolls as an educational institution for youth of the day by encouraging them to take up weekend caving rather than slide into a state of delinquency.
