deep in the fells

 

Different types of slate have very different characters. Find out about Brathay and Kirkstone slate from sculptor Shawn Williamson.

 

Slate Mining

Two hundred years ago, slate mining in Cumbria was a very difficult and dangerous job.

Miners chipped at the rock face with hammers and chisels. They tied ropes around their waists to work high above the floor of the mine, as there were no safety harnesses

Sometimes, miners were killed by falling rocks, or would tumble to their deaths if their ropes snapped.

 

slate

 

Compose Cavern Music

At Honister slate mine, a vast underground chamber has been created at the heart of Fleetwith Pike..

What sounds might you hear in a cavern?

  • The slow drip-drip of water from the ceiling
  • The rush of underground streams
  • Occasional rock falls
  • The ringing of hammers on the rock face
  • Chisels scraping at the slate

 

Make your own Cavern music using voices, instruments and soundmakers.

 

How different spaces affect the sounds we hear

Different spaces affect the way we hear sounds. This depends on:

  • the size of the space (very small to very large)
  • the shape of the space (round, rectangular, irregular)
  • the material in the space (wood, stone, glass, fabric)
  • if the space is empty or full
  • if the space is inside or outside

 

Echo and Reverberation affect ways sounds are heard.
Sound heard in a space can be described as 'wet' or 'dry', 'reverberant' or 'dead'.
A 'wet' or 'reverberant' space might be a cave or a cathedral.
A 'dry' or 'dead' space might be inside a car, or a small bedroom.
You might enjoy singing, or playing a musical instrument, in a 'wet' space. On the other hand, you could feel uncomfortable singing or playing in a 'dry' one.

 

You could use Audacity to record sounds on your computer, adding reverberation and echo.