More about the Silver Mine of Saltash Passage

I've had a lot of people write to me recently about the underground mine at Saltash Passage and it all makes very interesting reading. With the work recently being carried out at the bottom of Little Ash Gardens to repair subsidence, together with past damage to the houses on the left-hand side of Little Ash Gardens, it's easy to follow the route of the final leg of the mine. I had a very interesting letter from Terry (whose surname I unfortunately don't know) and I hope that he doesn't mind me reproducing it here as it sheds some light on the tunnel and the route it took. Terry writes: 'I was very interested to read, 'The Silver Mine in Saltash Passage' on your blog. I lived in St Budeaux some 40 years ago, near Kinterbury Creek. We all called it 'Mud Cott' though I don't know why. What I now know as the silver mine, we called 'Smugglers Cave'. I used to go in often and I was one of the children they sealed it up to keep out! In the mid 60s, you could go in and just inside was a large boulder which you had to go around. After you got passed it, you were in a large chamber. There was a bench/bed carved out of rock. There was one main tunnel and the beginning of another but that was only a few feet in. The main one headed towards the main road. It must have been quite level because there was an inch or two of water along the bottom. As you went through, there were a few bends and at the end, it just got smaller and stopped. It didn't go in a very long way as I remember, under Little Ash Gardens at the most, so I would be very surprised if it went as far as Vicarage Gardens. I have for years wondered what it was. I assumed it was for the Home Guard to watch the river and bridge during the War. Maybe they did use it. I still visit Plymouth and last year, I went to have a look. You can't see it now, there is a boat house or something in front. Also, when I lived there, if you went along the beach on the opposite side to the mine side, where the cast iron pipes go into the river, there was a large sheet of twisted metal with rivet holes and rivets in. We used to try and move it when we were crabbing but it was stuck solid in the mud. It's not there now, perhaps it was taken away for scrap, and I wondered if it was part of the ammunition barge blown up in the War? I enjoyed Terry's informative letter very much and I wish that I had his address but hopefully, he'll write again. I would also be very interested to hear from anyone else with tales of the area. They certainly make very interesting reading.