A brief history of Lacock Treacle mine
by Arthur Llewellen
Lacock Treacle mine (pictured below) was opened in 1880 by Charles Thomas, who had, 3 years previously, discovered a source of a sticky brown substance.
He managed to gather a number of skilled quarrymen together who, between them had the necessary knowledge to operate a mine independantly. They set about securing an entrance into the side of a slope at the boundry of Lacock Abby ( 920 685), which proved to be a wise move as, a few months into the mining, they realised the sheer size of the vein they had discovered.
The main adit, photo taken 1932, 22 years after closure
Thomas' luck was not to last however, by 1906, profits were falling dramatically and by October 1909, the mine was completely unprofitable. Thomas made one last stand in an attempt to raise sales in December, but due to the vast competition and the high outflow of money from the business, the mine was finally closed on the 4th January 1910.
Over the next 40 years, collapses began to happen, blocking off many of the passages leading off from the main ones, and causing damage on the surface. A shoring up job in 1952 left the mine in a stable condition and left both of the adits blocked.
The back adit, now padlocked and grilled
The entrace pictured above collapsed in 1984, making the only entrance to the mine the one in the picture below, which, as you can tell is padlocked shut. Access is incredibly limited and the keys are held by Lacock Parish Council. Access is near impossible now due to the risk of both collapses, and getting stuck.
Page Last Updated: 3/04/1999
© 1999 Arthur P Llewellen
