Many people walking around Saltash Passage today might notice the subsidence that appears in the area. The wall beside The Ferry House Inn has been cordoned off for some time now. Above the wall, the path, serving the houses above, is falling away. This subsidence was thought to have been explained many years ago when local historian, Marshall Ware, suggested that this was the area where the pipe from the American fuel tank, kept in the old orchard, ran down towards the quay. However, subsidence has also been noticed in Little Ash Gardens and near the old wall facing the River Tamar. Even further up the road at Vicarage Gardens the pavement is showing signs of sinking.
A house in Little Ash Gardens has had to be under-pinned in the past and this all seems to be due to the underground mining that once took place in the area.
In 1837, Charles Trelawny excavated for lead-silver deposits under Saltash Passage. The mine tunnel ran from Kinterbury Creek under, what is now, the main road and up towards the quarry that is now Little Ash Gardens. It is believed that the house affected lies above this mine as does many of the homes within the area. With the disturbance of the bombing during the Second World War (an armaments barge was hit on the River Tamar), the mineshaft was probably disturbed.
Many years ago, the entrance to the mineshaft was sealed up to stop children from entering. The mines are still there but remain a secret to many visitors to the area.
This is must be one of the better sites pubilshed in and around plymouth. Keep up the good work.
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