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View Full Version : Yarnbury Lead Mine, Grassington, Yorks, Oct '09



boxfrenzy
02-11-2009, 06:05 PM
High above the picturesque village of Grassington is a bleak and desolate moor, where, back in the 15th Century, the monks of Fountains Abbey worked a smelt mill. Later, in the 18th and 19th century, this place became pretty busy.
This is the backfilled entrance to Barretts Incline. Carved above the entrance is the year it was built. Horse drawn tubs would have been drawn to the surface here.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2537/4068800120_9e7f0b5338.jpg

I'd imagine that with a spade, you could get through that. How do they stop kids from doing that? Forget security, Herras or triple prong. Simply dump a load of intestines and other internal organs down there.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2446/4068047271_8d6302889e.jpg

Much of the landscape is pitted with bell pits and disused mine shafts.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2655/4068789214_b787212ea5.jpg

A poor view looking down one of the shafts. Apologies for the almost gynecological shot
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/4068789416_febba83dcd.jpg

Up here is the remains of the winding house. This building originally housed the waterwheel used to pump out flooded levels. In the 1960's the building was used as part of a washing house to wash waste materials to retrieve barytes for the chemical industry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/4068036051_54f010fe36.jpg

All over the landscape as you get higher are these.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2744/4068791142_b84cfd729e.jpg

Inside, the lead ore has discoloured the water
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2625/4068036593_7e18b35455.jpg


These are part of the flues which come from the big chimney. These are small tunnels that run underground.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/4068792522_09625ce09f.jpg

The total length of the flues on Grassington Moor is 1.7 km. It is the most complex system of flues in the Yorkshire Dales
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/4068796516_f7cf9fe243.jpg

The earth covering the stone arches help keep the flues airtight.Lead fume from the smelt mill settled on the side of the chimney and was regularly washed out of the flues.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/4068043155_6e650c37cd.jpg

The waste lead ended up in the settling ponds near the end of the flue which were eventually emptied and scraped out to recover the lead.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/4068794098_c880cf492d.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/4068040853_27a3dfc855.jpg

More flue action, heading closer to the chimney
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2600/4068797506_bc947cdbba.jpg

Parts of the roof had fallen in in parts, in other stretches, the tunnels remained pretty intact.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/4068042569_4f850c1a31.jpg

Climbing out, I was now pretty near the chimney. You can see the flue running up to the chimney.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/4068798026_f60587e095.jpg

A view inside the chimney looking upwards. I'm not sure what the wooden platform is.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4068798828_bd957113cc.jpg

Next to the chimney is the remains of a disused chemical works, which may (or may not) have had a use during the second world war. The area up here was also used for military training, and walkers in the past regularly used to find hand-grenades:w00t Many of these were dropped "harmlessly" into the River Wharfe by the Police when they had been handed in to them.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/4068799306_241dfb90bb.jpg

You would like this place. And if you have kids, they might like it as well.

Moodster020
02-11-2009, 08:15 PM
Yes, Virginal territory it would appear!

Good show :thumb

KingElvis
02-11-2009, 08:42 PM
Nice mate, I like that very much and yes I would like a wander round there.

Strange place.

evilnoodle
02-11-2009, 09:21 PM
Guess what :w00t I think I like this place :lol:

Nice pics, too!

skin
03-11-2009, 11:59 AM
Grassington - I wish Id made it up there - had the chance a few times in the past - nice to see some pics of it - yeah I like this place and some good if not strange shots there mate :)

Miss Metallic
13-11-2009, 11:01 PM
Love this! I'm really fascinated by the tin mines in Cornwall - although I'd never go down a disused one.

Runner
18-11-2009, 03:55 PM
Very, very nice Rich. :thumb Love those flue shots especially the one with the ferns.
I feel a roadtrip coming on - cheers for posting.

boxfrenzy
18-11-2009, 06:58 PM
Cheers mate, you'd like this one. Thanks for the nice comments all.

beam assisted
05-10-2010, 05:26 AM
Now this place is magical.
Great find and great pics.

Fizgig
03-03-2011, 02:09 AM
CRAP i bin grassington when i did dales way walk and never got see this place very very nice. :thumb