I recently came across this abandoned mine near the area known as Lead Mine Pass. Thought I would share some photos! I don't know how deep the mine would've gone because there's a mound of dirt (possible collapse) about 20 metres in.
Some constructions can still be found in the relevant area, e.g. this two-tier cave. There's another one with 3-tier. All others are small and short dead-end ones.
Further downhill along the trail, there's the ruin of the office with a fireplace, ... the ceiling hasn't collapsed. A group of tanks can also be found closer to the path junction in the south.
A pal said that several decades ago, some villagers told him that there were confrontations between different parties against the profits of the mine. Even explosives were used during fightings.
Stumbled on what looks like a Japanese tunnel off the trail east of the Twins near Stanley yesterday.
I am putting together a list of past industrial sites (and some present ones) in Hong Kong, with links to the relevant Gwulo pages (or if there is no dedicated Gwulo page for them yet, Public Works Department Annual Reports). There is already a very comprehensive list on the Industrial History of Hong Kong website - my list is just trying to group together relevant Gwulo pages and PWD sources. For now, I have not included sites such as godowns, wharves, piers, electricity substations, etc as they are so numerous that it would be a time-consuming task.
Tymon has written up a thorough investigation of the mine and its history:
http://industrialhistoryhk.org/mui-wo-silver-mine-part-2-the-mine/
This brief history of the Needle Hill Tungsten Mine does not attempt to cover the geology or mineralogy of the mine, nor details of the mine workings. For a much fuller account, which includes this information plus photographs, plans and further references, try The Geological Society of Hong Kong Newsletter Vol 9 No 3 pp29-40 (1991)
