Bixslade
Encyclopedia
Bixslade, occasionally written Bix Slade, is a short, steep-sided, valley in the Forest of Dean
, Gloucestershire
. It begins on high ground at Bixhead, near Broadwell
, and descends sharply to meet the Cannop Valley at Stonyhill Green. Bixslade has been quarried or mined continuously for over 500 years and has been described as "one of the country's finest areas of extractive industrial heritage".
Many abandoned workings are still evident in the valley and are now home to a variety of wildlife, lichens, mosses and other plant-life. Three quarries and a Freemine
also continue to operate, largely hidden by the picturesque woodland.
sits on a basin plateau, formed of a fractured asymmetrical syncline
composed of Upper Palaeozoic rocks from the Silurian
, Devonian
and Carboniferous
periods. The rocks of the Bixslade valley consist of massive Pennant Sandstone, interbedded with shale
and coal
seams.
Iron-ore is present in the sandstone along the northern side of the valley, giving it a distinctive pink colour (see photograph). This is unusual for the Forest of Dean, where iron-ore is normally found in limestone
.
Two coal seams can be accessed from Bixslade; the 'Yorkley Seam' and the 'Coleford High Delph'. Both ascend from the foot of the valley, rising with the valley floor. The Yorkley seam outcrops roughly one third of the way up, while the underlying Coleford High Delph continues towards Coleford
without outcrop.
and coniferous woodland, open glades and wet areas. Human activity has also created numerous sites which have since been reclaimed by nature. Underground workings provide a habitat for Greater
and Lesser horseshoe bat
s, whilst disused quarries are especially suited to reptile
s, lichens, mosses, liverwort
s and fern
s. Spion Kop Quarry (disused) is now a nature reserve managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
, but is not open to the public.
to the Severn and Wye Railway
(actually a horse-drawn tramroad
) to serve the collieries and quarries in the lower part of the Bixslade valley. It was named the Bicslade Tramroad, although the reason for the different spelling is not known. It was extended over time to run the full length of the valley, with the last stretch to Bixhead Quarry opening in 1855. The branch closed in the 1946, but large numbers of stone sleepers remain.
The earliest surviving documents record quarrying activity at Bixhead, the highest point of Bixslade, from the 15th century onwards, although extraction is likely to have taken place long before this date. Two large disused quarries exist today at Bixhead (neither are open to the public). Other disused quarries also exist, on both sides, further down the valley; the largest being Spion Kop.
Several disused levels
and shafts can also be seen in the valley, although none can be accessed. The Yorkley seam outcrops in the lower half of the valley and was worked using relatively short drifts or shallow pits, but the thicker, and more important, Coleford High Delph seam could only be reached via shafts or longer levels, also called drifts.
In the lower part of the valley is a monument, marking the site of Union Pit. It commemorates four miners who were killed, and three others who were trapped for five days, by flooding in 1902.
Larger blocks from Bixhead and Mine Train are transported by road to be processed in a nearby stoneworks at Cannop Ponds
, whilst Monument Quarry mostly produces walling stone.
One working freemine also remains in the valley; Monument Colliery, formerly Hayner's Bailey. It works the Yorkley Seam via 200yd inclined drift.
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. It begins on high ground at Bixhead, near Broadwell
Broadwell, Forest of Dean
Broadwell is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire. It belongs to the civil parish of Coleford, which is also its post town. Broadwell is approximately east of Coleford. The village lies at the western edge of the Forest of Dean....
, and descends sharply to meet the Cannop Valley at Stonyhill Green. Bixslade has been quarried or mined continuously for over 500 years and has been described as "one of the country's finest areas of extractive industrial heritage".
Many abandoned workings are still evident in the valley and are now home to a variety of wildlife, lichens, mosses and other plant-life. Three quarries and a Freemine
Freeminer
Freeminer is an ancient title given to a coal or iron miners in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who have earned the right to mine personal plots, known as gales.-History of Freemining:...
also continue to operate, largely hidden by the picturesque woodland.
Geology
The Forest of DeanForest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
sits on a basin plateau, formed of a fractured asymmetrical syncline
Syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger layers closer to the center of the structure. A synclinorium is a large syncline with superimposed smaller folds. Synclines are typically a downward fold, termed a synformal syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold, with younger...
composed of Upper Palaeozoic rocks from the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
, Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
and Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
periods. The rocks of the Bixslade valley consist of massive Pennant Sandstone, interbedded with shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
seams.
Iron-ore is present in the sandstone along the northern side of the valley, giving it a distinctive pink colour (see photograph). This is unusual for the Forest of Dean, where iron-ore is normally found in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
Two coal seams can be accessed from Bixslade; the 'Yorkley Seam' and the 'Coleford High Delph'. Both ascend from the foot of the valley, rising with the valley floor. The Yorkley seam outcrops roughly one third of the way up, while the underlying Coleford High Delph continues towards Coleford
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
without outcrop.
Nature
A wide range of natural habitats exist in the valley, including deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and coniferous woodland, open glades and wet areas. Human activity has also created numerous sites which have since been reclaimed by nature. Underground workings provide a habitat for Greater
Greater Horseshoe Bat
The Greater Horseshoe Bat is a European bat of the Rhinolophus genus. Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest of the European Horseshoe Bats and is thus easily distinguished from other species...
and Lesser horseshoe bat
Lesser horseshoe bat
The Lesser Horseshoe Bat , is a type of European bat related to but smaller than its cousin, the Greater Horseshoe Bat...
s, whilst disused quarries are especially suited to reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, lichens, mosses, liverwort
Liverwort
Liverwort may refer to either*Marchantiophyta, a division of non-vascular plants*Hepatica, a genus of spring flowersliverworts are part of the bryophytes group and the bryophytes of the PlantaeIn the bryophytres group their are mosses too....
s and fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s. Spion Kop Quarry (disused) is now a nature reserve managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 47 Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United Kingdom's natural heritage...
, but is not open to the public.
Bicslade Tramroad
In 1812, the Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company added a branch lineBranch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
to the Severn and Wye Railway
Severn and Wye Railway
The Severn and Wye Railway was a small railway network in west Gloucestershire that was constructed to allow exploitation of the mineral resources of the Forest of Dean. The Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company began construction of the tramway and the Lydney Canal in 1810. In 1868 the tramway...
(actually a horse-drawn tramroad
Tramway
Tramway may refer to:* Tramway , a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A system of trams * Aerial tramway...
) to serve the collieries and quarries in the lower part of the Bixslade valley. It was named the Bicslade Tramroad, although the reason for the different spelling is not known. It was extended over time to run the full length of the valley, with the last stretch to Bixhead Quarry opening in 1855. The branch closed in the 1946, but large numbers of stone sleepers remain.
Historic
Some of the smaller quarries are accessible, but most of the disused workings in the valley are fenced may only be viewed from a distance. In all cases, however, extreeme care must be taken when visiting sites.The earliest surviving documents record quarrying activity at Bixhead, the highest point of Bixslade, from the 15th century onwards, although extraction is likely to have taken place long before this date. Two large disused quarries exist today at Bixhead (neither are open to the public). Other disused quarries also exist, on both sides, further down the valley; the largest being Spion Kop.
Several disused levels
Adit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
and shafts can also be seen in the valley, although none can be accessed. The Yorkley seam outcrops in the lower half of the valley and was worked using relatively short drifts or shallow pits, but the thicker, and more important, Coleford High Delph seam could only be reached via shafts or longer levels, also called drifts.
In the lower part of the valley is a monument, marking the site of Union Pit. It commemorates four miners who were killed, and three others who were trapped for five days, by flooding in 1902.
Current
Three quarries; Monument Quarry, Mine Train Quarry and Bixhead Quarry still operate at Bixslade, producing Pennant Sandstone. No public access exists to any of the working sites at Bixslade.Larger blocks from Bixhead and Mine Train are transported by road to be processed in a nearby stoneworks at Cannop Ponds
Cannop Ponds
Cannop Ponds are two large ponds, just north of Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The ponds, and surrounding area, are a popular tourist destination....
, whilst Monument Quarry mostly produces walling stone.
One working freemine also remains in the valley; Monument Colliery, formerly Hayner's Bailey. It works the Yorkley Seam via 200yd inclined drift.
See also
- Geology of the Forest of Dean
- Forest of Dean CoalfieldForest of Dean CoalfieldThe Forest of Dean Coalfield, lying under the Forest of Dean, in northwest Gloucestershire, is one of the smaller coalfields in the British Isles, although intensive mining during the 19th and 20th centuries has had enormous influence on the landscape, history, culture and economy of the area.For...
- Cannop PondsCannop PondsCannop Ponds are two large ponds, just north of Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The ponds, and surrounding area, are a popular tourist destination....