Mines and minerals in Derbyshire (UK): Blakemere Pit

I visited Blakemere Pit, a former Fluorspar quarry, on the 9th September 2017. The quarry is remotely located with no vehicular access.

Access is via either Blakelow Lane from Bonsall Lane or Blakemere Lane from Bonsallmoor Lane. Either of these routes involves a walk along a heavily rutted track with the possibility of meeting off road motorbike riders which often use these lanes. Parking is possible at the entrance to Blakemere Lane but you do so at your own risk as stones may get thrown up by passing motorbikes. I actually cycled from the top of Winster village on this occasion.

The site is gated and consists of an overgrown access track which takes you down to the quarry itself and bends round and continues up to the higher ground to the north. The main pit (quarry) is now pretty much overgrown with nature having reclaimed it.

BLAKEMERE LANE ACCESS - UNSUITABLE FOR NORMAL ROAD VEHICLES

GATED ENTRANCE - VIEWED FROM INSIDE THE QUARRY

QUARRY TRACK WITH PIT ON FAR RIGHT

QUARRY TRACK AND SOME WELCOME SUNSHINE

Background

I was unable to find any real information on the history of this Fluorspar working other than it appears to have been worked up to the late 1980s.

It's presently privately owned and under a restoration order to have the land restored to it's original agricultural usage buy infilling. This work has not been carried out to date but is overdue and subject to some dispute. It seems a shame to me as it provides an interesting alternative habitat for wildlife to the hundreds of acres of flat moorland surrounding it.

Minerology

I could find little information regarding the mineralogy other than it being a former Fluorspar quarry and some references to Malachite having been found here.

Minerals Found

The most common mineral found was, not surprisingly, Fluorspar. It appears to occur in three colours depending on the height within the limestone strata. A deep dark purple variety occurs in the upper reaches of the quarry, with clear examples beneath and finally a Citrine coloured variety towards the bottom of the pit.

There are some good examples of clear Fluorspar lining some of the quarried faces and on some of the fallen boulders.

I also found Calcite, Galena, Pyromorphite, possible Smithsonite, Micro crystals of Sphalerite (Zinc Blende), a pale blue Hydrozincite and what looks like Copper Pyrite as inclusions in Fluorspar crystals.