Ny-London - Summer 2008
August 3rd
Ny-London. or simply London, was an enterprise of The Northern Exploration Co, London.
Ernest Richard Mansfield discovered marble on Blomstrandhalvøya and founded Ny-London for The Northern Exploration Co. in 1911, after managing to
convince everybody of investing money in the project. Fourty Scottish stonebreaker were moved to the camp, and producion started. But reality
soon caught up with the charismatic Mansfield, and it became obvious that the marble was of the worst quality - the product cracked and broke
when transported to warmer climates. The camp finally closed in 1913.
In the meantime, though, Mansfield managed to create a very pleasant work environment
for the miners, and he hired experienced Norwegian trappers like Arthur Oxaas and Henry Rudi to teach the workers about the arctic environment, and
to building a few cabins for the trappers' and the workers' pastime - we saw Camp Zoe just a few days ago.
Not much is left of the camp site…
…except for a few rusty pieces…
…and the engine of what once was the world's northernmost railway.
Marble strains in the rocks.
(·)
A Lion on a cabin - is the the Norther Exploration Co.'s emblem?
Interestingly, it seems to have been worked in relief…
Svalbard is rich in traces of human activity - enterprises started with great enthousiasm,
short-lived, and now left over as cultural heritage…
Takk for turen! | Back to Svalbard - Summer 2008
Ny-London. or simply London, was an enterprise of The Northern Exploration Co, London.
Ernest Richard Mansfield discovered marble on Blomstrandhalvøya and founded Ny-London for The Northern Exploration Co. in 1911, after managing to
convince everybody of investing money in the project. Fourty Scottish stonebreaker were moved to the camp, and producion started. But reality
soon caught up with the charismatic Mansfield, and it became obvious that the marble was of the worst quality - the product cracked and broke
when transported to warmer climates. The camp finally closed in 1913.
In the meantime, though, Mansfield managed to create a very pleasant work environment
for the miners, and he hired experienced Norwegian trappers like Arthur Oxaas and Henry Rudi to teach the workers about the arctic environment, and
to building a few cabins for the trappers' and the workers' pastime - we saw Camp Zoe just a few days ago.
Not much is left of the camp site…
…except for a few rusty pieces…
…and the engine of what once was the world's northernmost railway.
Marble strains in the rocks.
(·)
A Lion on a cabin - is the the Norther Exploration Co.'s emblem?
Interestingly, it seems to have been worked in relief…
Svalbard is rich in traces of human activity - enterprises started with great enthousiasm,
short-lived, and now left over as cultural heritage…