Historic mine shaft to reveal its secrets

Specialist engineers and geologists are just weeks away from exploring nooks and crannies which have lain hidden in a huge cavern below the Black Country for more than 100 years.

Six thousands tonnes of sand will eventually be poured into the vast hollow that forms part of the cathedral-sized Step Shaft Mine below Wrens Nest Nature Reserve. This will protect it from further collapse and help preserve it until the cash can be found to transform it into a tourist attraction.

But before it is sealed off experts will get to go where no-one has ventured for at least a century and explore the Minstrel's Gallery - a smaller off shoot cavern found high above the main cavern.

A steel tunnel is being constructed to provide access to the hollow, which has been out of the reach of experts for decades. Contracts manager Bob Lewis, from West Bromwich-based Forkers, began constructing the tunnel, to which a shaft will be fitted, on Monday. Workers have also begun filling the Step Shaft Gallery with natural quarry sand chosen because its purity will not damage the rock surface. It is not known what lurks inside but it is hoped there will be artefacts linked to the Black Country's mining heritage and fossils.

Project manager and section engineer Roger Morgan said: "It is very exciting to have the chance to explore and hopefully we will not be the last people to be lucky enough to see it."

Experts including Dudley's Keeper of Geology Graham Worton say they are also looking forward to their first glimpse inside the Minstrel's Gallery.

Years of mining expertise is being used on the project and a mine rescue team is always on standby. The cavern, created 200 years ago by limestone workers, was linked to Dudley's canal system and boats would carry material up to Castle Hill. When funds become available in the future to re-open it, engineers can flush the sand with water and pump the resulting mix up out of the ground.