Pete Forster's Logbook
on
'Notes on Lead Mines'
 

Introduction

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When articles are submitted to the Pegasus Website for possible inclusion occasionally a real ‘Gem’ turns-up and the following is certainly considered to be in that category.

A personal 60 page ‘Log book’, 9” x 7” in size, compiled over a period of years during the late 1960’s and early 70’s by Pete Forster of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire who was a founder member of the ‘North Staffs Mining Club’ and took-up the exploration of abandoned mines in the mid-1960’s, in predominantly Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

Each page displays various written information and annotated hand-coloured sketches such as, surface positions of mine shafts, associated buildings, direction of underground workings (Rakes); along with cross-sectional drawings of the direction of underground passages and water courses.

The records are of particular historical interest as some of the surface workings most probably no longer visibly exist and the mines beneath not re-explored since Pete Forster made his guidance notes about them over 50 years ago.

Therefore, this article not only makes fascinating reading but should also be of immense interest to anyone researching old mine workings in these particular county areas.

The front-cover of the ‘Log’ and the 60 individual pages are reproduced as they appear along with a preceding title and an occasional brief descriptive caption which has been added by the Pegasus Website editor to aid location of the sites.