{"id":325,"date":"2022-06-06T15:54:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T15:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triskelepublishing.com\/weirdstonewalk\/?page_id=325"},"modified":"2024-11-04T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T11:33:03","slug":"engine-vein","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/triskelepublishing.com\/weirdstonewalk\/engine-vein\/","title":{"rendered":"Engine Vein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Approximate Location<\/strong>
OS Grid Reference: SJ 861 776
Latitude: 53.29.42N Longitude: 2.21.14W<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey<\/a> of Colin, Susan, Fenodyree and Durathror through the mines and caves beneath Alderley Edge in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen<\/a><\/em> ended at the Engine Vein:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“…a gully that overlooked the cave : the gully became a ravine and above was open sky; cold, crisp, dry air filled their lungs. The side of the ravine was scored with holes and ledges, and children and dwarfs almost fell over each other as they swarmed up the last monotony of stone, out of the eternal, stagnant silences, into light, and life, and wide horizons. Then there was grass beneath them, and a wind upon their cheeks. Beyond the ravine wound the elf-road”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garner, A., 1960 (1989 edition), The Weirdstone of Brisingamen<\/em>. William Collins \/ Lions. London. pp143-44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Engine Vein, looking east (Credit: James Wright)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along with the Devil’s Grave<\/a>, the Engine Vein is a Bronze Age open cast mineral extraction site that has been extensively researched. A short article on the various fieldwork projects can be found on The Megalithic Portal<\/a> and the Historic England scheduled monument listing description<\/a> contains a more detailed archaeological assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan Garner co-wrote a short article on the discovery of a Bronze Age spade from the adit mine at nearby Brynlow in Current Archaeology No. 137, March 1994 (later published as an essay entitled Call A Spade a Spade<\/em> in The Voice That Thunders<\/em> 1997, 184-92) . Garner can also be seen descending into the Engine Vein in two videos:\u00a0The Writer\u2019s Workshop: Places and Things<\/em> and on a short documentary<\/a> made for Penguin Books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Locations<\/a><\/blockquote>