A LIFETIME collection of historic mine documents and plans is being made available for public access.

The important accumulation, which includes 200 mine plans from places such as Whitehaven and Coniston, will be known as the Eric Holland Collection.

Eric Holland, who died in 2004, was a founder member of Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society and was its first secretary and newsletter editor.

He was among the first mine explorers in Cumbria and rescued many mining artefacts and documents from destruction.

He wrote the explorer’s guide Underground in Furness and books on the Coniston copper mines. His wife Maureen has decided to make his documents available through the CATMHS mining history society.

The plans are being digitised and are expected to be available on the websites of the mining history society and that of the British Geological Survey.

The original plans on Lake District mines will be deposited in the CATMHS archive at the Armitt Museum and Library in Ambleside.

Items on Cumbrian iron mine material will go the Cumbria Record Offices as Barrow and Whitehaven.

Mr Holland’s collection of mine ledgers and record books have been deposited at the Armitt Library and Museum.

Mr Holland appeared in the Evening Mail in September 12 in 1966 to describe the difficulties he faced after buying a steam-powered road locomotive.

The blasting contractor ran out of coal while driving from Skipton to Ulverston and his 10-ton vehicle came to a halt at near Burton, Kendal.

A passing coal merchant came to the rescue of Mr Holland and his 1931 Fowler steam roller called Rambler.

Cruising speed was three-miles-per-hour and it had taken four days and a half-ton of coal to get from Skipton to Lindale.

You can find out more about the work of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society on its website at http://www.catmhs.org.uk/