This is a transcript from the Diaries of Phil Hendy
30th July 1997 Frog Pot
The army were training on the range again, so we could not go to Lodmore. Pre had arranged for us to have a trial dig at Frog Pot on Chancellor’s Farm.
It was a warm evening, though it became cloudy and breezy just before the team arrived. It was a good turnout.
We started to dig a 6ft x 3ft hole at the very bottom of the depression, adjacent to the fluted tock exposures. The ground still sounded very hollow, but when we lifted the turf we found out why – the hole has been filled with rubbish, which has left voids. Bits of tin and semi-burnt plastic sheeting made the digging difficult enough, but the main problem was the vast quantity of broken roof tile, which was almost impossible to dig through. We also found lots of batteries, and many bottles – mainly medicine but also milk and booze.
The rock was chased down on two sides of the dig, which was taken down abpout 15”. All of the spoil was chained in buckets up to a trailer, which when filled was taken off behind a Land Rover and dumped. At this point one of Kate’s kids came down with a tray of tea, which was very welcome. It was not going to be possible to fill and unload another trailer before it got dark, so Staff and I put a line of fence posts around the depression and with Prew we put round 2 strands of wire.
After that it was time to go to the Hunters, where there was a good crowd, and I swapped news with Aubrey.
5th August 1997 Frog Pot
NHASA was unable to dig at Lodmore at short notice, as Ron Dawson the range warden phoned Prew to say a 2-day exercise was taking place. Most of us met at Lodmore and then proceeded to Chancellor’s Farm to help dig Frog Pot. We were met by Tav, Rich Witcombe and A.N.Other. Dave Speed was expected with some telegraph pole pit props, but did not arrive. It was a warm cloudless night, until the sun went down – but although it got chilly, there was a fullmoon.
The entrance shaft has been dug to 4ft wide and 6ft long, with almost vertical walls of fluted limestone, the flutes are so deep they are still filled with gravelly mud.
A wooden ladder allows access to the foot of the shaft at about 12ft. Two shallow steps, shored with wood, lead to a narrow phreatic slot in the floor. Above this is a slightly larger window which connects with the 20ft shaft beyond.
I could see a ledge about 12ft down, but the shaft itself is about 20ft, making the dig about 32ft deep. The slot looked passable but tight, and we let the main diggers go beyond. Tav assured us that there were plenty of footholds, but getting back out looked like it might be difficult.
The 20ft pitch
is floored with gravelly mud, but begins to pinch in. The way being dug is a
continuation of the rift, which is walking size, but some slabs have come down
from above – these need propping. The way on,
as I understand it, is partly under, partly alongside these boulders.
NHASA helped by hauling spoil to the surface in cut-out plastic drums. The spoil was mainly wet mud, with only a few stones. We hauled using a simple pulley on a scaffolding tripod. Pulling the buckets back onto the surface was easy – except for the squeeze – but getting them sideways onto the ground was a bit of a problem. NHASA would quickly build a platform over the head of the dig – there is no protection there at all at present.
Spoil was dumped in the depression. We packed up after about 40 buckets, when it was getting dark.
Above – Prew, Albert Francis, John Ham
Below Eric Dunford
Pleasant hour in the Hunters’ – surprise appearance by Brian and Penny Hansford.
Wednesday 14th June 2000
A cool, drizzly evening. The army were on Yoxter, so we merely unloaded a ton of dust from John Hill’s van, and left it by the hunting gate ready to take to Lodmore.
We then went over to Chancellor’s Farm. All the flowers, including orchids, were out in the hay meadows, which are due to be mown tomorrow.
The spoil heap
on Frog Pot has finally gone back down into the hole, (they built this over an
aven) and there is a further collapse taking place along the same line. We had
a good look at all the depressions agreeing on one which could be the next
NHASA dig. It is deep, with a small water-word rock exposure.
There are a lot of depressions, mainly in lines, and I suspect some at least have been modified by miners, even if they are originally natural in origin. Some surface exposures of gravel (? Crushed rock debris) supported this view.
Out proposed site is the deepest depression in a line at the bottom of a shallow valley. The line continues to the W, where it was visible as dark green patches in a lighter green field of barley.
Back to the Hunters for a pint then home.
