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View Full Version : Old lead working in the rivington area



buddah
08-05-2011, 08:33 PM
Visited solo it was more of a recce to see what i could find.


Most of Anglezarkes history revolves around mineral mining. As early as 1690, lead was discovered in Stronstrey Bank, near White Coppice. The freeholder, Sir Richard Standish, formed a partnership with two farmers and a mining engineer, John Knowle. After several failures, a good quantity of lead was mined, but following her husband's death, Standish's widow claimed all the profits. After losing the resultant court case she flooded the mines by diverting a stream. Despite this, the mines were expanded in the 1790s and not only lead was extracted, but also copper and galena.
A substance known as witherite (barium carbonate) was also discovered as early as 1700, and although there were some ill-fated attempts to use it for medicinal purposes its main use is as a coloured glaze for porcelain.

Some of the first forms of mineral mining in the area was in the form of bell pits. This is a primitive form of mining where people simply dig a hole in the ground down to the mineral or coal layer they wanted to extract then they make a small chamber by extraction.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/bellpit.gif

Some surface remains of this can still be seen above ground near white coppice as on the pics below.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00768.jpg

and 2 more bell pits in the distance
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00769.jpg

later small mines where dug out of solid rock to extract the ore.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00774.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00773.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00772.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00771.jpg

There are ment to be a lot of these mines in the area ive only managed to find one and although there is no historical artefacts to be found in them it was still very interesting to have a look at. Its just amazing to see these small tunnels and appreciate the amount of work that has gone in to them as they where all hand dug through solid rock.
You can see the lead ore as you crawl through these passages as well as the Witherite on the walls.

Over toward anglezarke in an area called lead mines clough there are a lot more above ground features to be seen.

One of these features is a a drainage adit
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00755.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00752.jpg

And another is the wheel pit
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00763.jpg
there is also another small stone sided with stone roof built tunnel that id assume is for water but i need to go back and explore it more, as i only went in the first couple of feet because its part filled with water and i had still got a long way to walk. Plus its very very tight so im going back with blino in case i get stuck.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00765.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00758.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/buddah83/DSC00757.jpg
even if this doesn't go into to any mines its still an interesting little feature that i cant wait to get down.

BB
08-05-2011, 10:06 PM
Looks promising! :)

captain cave man
09-05-2011, 01:12 AM
looks like a water outlet still nice to get in though .....hope you come up with some more goodies in this area :)..... cheers for posting