A Cheddar Visit At last, Part IV,' Velvet Bottom & the Romans and Victorians Linked to Lead Mining
Channel: semw52
Date: 26/08/2023

Geology, history and archaeology harmonize in Velvet Bottom------The Romans needed lead for their Roman Baths--the pipe work and for their roofs--lead tiling and guttering and other uses.The Victorians followed on the Roman Trail and this whole valley became black------filled with slag heaps the product still to be seen today sharp and shiny.And smoke--the air formed from the billowing  Chimneys and kilns--this whole area would be a busy active industrial site with  many men  covered in soot, pack horses and donkeys labouring long hours all year and in all weathers.Now in 2023 and for several decades, a quiet peaceful  area to walk with history all around a reminder of the past, of the toil and the robbing of the soil of its ores and of the changing landscape in that quest--pitted and potted and scarred.....Now wild grasses and flowers  enjoy the  Summer Sun and appear in all forms--heal the abused  landscape. Evolution has happened and the emergence of the fauna and flora survivors--reed beds, adder sanctuaries, all sorts of birds and wildlife network here...