Location 386
Location #386 - 'Kawarau' Coal Mine
Map 12
Address

Area

Adams Gully

Description

Location #386 - 'Kawarau' Coal Mine Mouth of Adams Gully, approx 150m upstream of Bannockburn-Nevis Road - Adams Creek crossing.


Still Standing

No


Underground workings may still exist, however the portal has been closed off.

Construction Details


Location Type

Mine


View Location on Map

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Interested Parties

The table below shows the groups of people that had an interest in this property, either as owners, residents, tenants or shareholders. Clicking on the 'Details' link will display a list of the individuals in the group along with any known historical information about them.

Group Date Description
1 1883 - 1884 John Pryde and James Smith. Details
2 1884 - 1899 John Pryde Details
3 1899 - 1900 James Horne syndicate Details
4 1900 - 1907 Cromwell & Bannockburn Colliery Company Details
5 1954 - 1955 W J S Hodson and M Passmore Details
Notes

The table below shows any historical notes about the location.

Note Date Short Description Note Text
3298 1883 Mine location. Lower Adams Gully on the northern side, approx 150 upstream from the Bannockburn-Nevis Rd, Adams Creek crossing. The underground workings are shown on a survey plan produced by Mr J Hayes (inspector of mines) c1902 (?) of the 'Kawarau' coal mine (location #255). This plan shows two adits about 15m apart. The author believes that the northern portal driven to the west with a decline of approx 90m (grade unknown) is location #386. The other portal about 15m to the south side is location #504, with a decline of about 120m (grade unknown) driven to the south. The underground workings of these mines may still exist however the portals have been closed off and their exact location is unknown.
3299 1883 Opening up of the mine. John Pryde and James Smith opened up a mine int he lower Adams Gully and called it the 'Kawarau' mine.
3300 1884 John Pryde purchased James Smiths share in the mine. Mr John Pryde purchased James Smith's share in the 'Kawarau' mine when he located to Luggate. The mine continued to be opened up.
3301 1889 John Pryde purchased the 'Royal Standard' battery. In Feb 1889, John Pryde purchased the 'Royal Standard' battery (location #196) at Quartzville and removed the boiler, along with the 12hp steam engine to use in the 'Kawarau' mine. The mines inspector reported that the 'Kawarau Colliery' mine of John Pryde was in good condition and that the powder was kept in a magazine. (Note) because John Pryde called all his coal mines 'Kawarau' it is not clear which mine was being referred o by the mines inspector - it may have been #183, #255 or #386.
3302 1898 General notes. During 1898 is appears that john Pryde may have been operating both of his Adams Gully mines (locations #255 and #386). The mine manager was John Crombie Campbell, and there were 12 miners employed.
3303 1899 John Pryde sold his coal leases to the James Horn syndicate. The James Horne syndicate purchased he coal leases of John Pryde. These included the 'Kawarau' mines #255 and #386.
3304 1899 The James Horn syndicate was formed. The dredging boom generated a big demand for coal which led to a need for a good reliable source of coal which could be obtained for a reasonable price. From this need was born a scheme to monopolise the supply of coal and gain the cheapest price. In June, a syndicate headed by James Horn was formed to try and achieve this. They started by purchasing John Pryde's coal leases in Adams Gully, and continued to run the 'Kawarau' mines. (#255 and #386)
3306 1900 Formation of the Cromwell and Bannockburn Colliery Company. In April, the Cromwell and Bannockburn Colliery Company was floated. The shares and assets of the James Horn syndicate were purchased by the coal company. The Kawarau mines (#255 and #386) continued to be run by the mine manager John Crombie Campbell under the guidance of the general manager James St. Vincent Jaxon.
3307 1902 Mr Jaxon left the company and was replaced by Thomas Barclay. Mr Jaxon left the company and was replaced by Thomas Barclay.
3308 1906 General notes. By this time it appears that the coal company was producing coal from three working coal mines, and employing 50 miners. The only Adams Gully mine that was being worked seems to the #255. The mine manager Thomas Barclay had been replaced by Alexander Sinclair Gillanders late in 1902.
3309 1907 Location #386 was re-opened. The mine manager, Mr Gillanders opened up the old 'Kawarau' mine #386, but did not develop it further.
3310 1914 The company was wound up. The Cromwell and Bannockburn Colliery Company was wound up and the assets sold at public auction. It appears that the coal leases for Adams Gully may have been allowed to lapse at this time.
3311 1954 Mess'rs Hodson and Passmore opened up an open cast mine in Adams Gully. Mess'rs Hodson and Passmore opened up an open cast mine in the lower Adams Gully area - location #253. The idea behind this pit was to mine coal from the two underground mines in the area - the 'Kawarau' mine #386 and the 'Bannockburn Coal Pit' #504. For more details see location #253.
Images

The table below shows a list of images related to the location. Click on 'View Image' to display more details about the image, and to view the image.

Image Id Source Date Short Description
1157 Paul Crump - Bannockburn 18 Dec 1902 Plan of Kawarau Coal Mine - Adam's Gully View Image
1983 Mrs G Macavoy - Bannockburn 23 Aug 1895 Kawarau Coal Pit (locations #386 & #255, Adam's Gully) - Bill View Image
1984 Mrs G Macavoy - Bannockburn 31 Jul 1891 Letter from John Pryde to Arthur Drake. View Image