On the subject of shafts and drifts into the Whittle / Shilbottle mine, I've just recalled that there was another drift somewhere to the left in the picture above. That was the original Whittle drift. The "modern" drift was 1/2 a mile straight ahead in the picture.
The old workings between the original drift and the modern drift were permanently flooded as a "standage" or water storage area for a large pumping station near the bottom of the modern drift.
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