Mines and minerals in Derbyshire (UK)

Old Millclose Mine

The 27th August 2017 found me visiting Old Millclose Mine in South Darley. The remains of the old engine house, Watt's shaft and old spoil heaps can be found set in beautiful countryside and next to a popular footpath with easy access.

There is ample parking on the side of Oldfield lane as you approach H.J. Enthoven & Sons factory as the road is very wide. Access to the footpath leading to the mine is only about 10 minutes walk from here. Alternatively, there is parking for a couple of cars at the entrance to the public footpath if you take the left hand turn before reaching the factory into Clough Lane (confusingly still named Oldfield Lane on Google maps). As it's popular with walkers though, it's hit and miss as to whether there are any spaces left.

Background

I don't know how far back mining at Old Millclose Mine goes but it was certainly worked commercially through the 16th and 17th centuries.

Watt's shaft was re-opened and used from 1859 to pump water from the mine until the 1870s when the engine was moved to the New Millclose Mine. There are old shafts to the south and west of Watt's shaft too with the original Millclose Grove mine (as it appeared to be called) located to the north of the old Red Lion pub in Wensley (now closed).

The new mine became famous for being one of the most productive Lead mines in the UK but little is now left as evidence. It closed in 1939 following an accidental flood and is no longer accessible to the general public. It was located north east of Watt's shaft on the land now owned by H.J. Enthoven & Sons who still run the lead smelter on the original site. Large spoil heaps from this mine can be seen opposite the factory but have been extensively reworked to extract Fluorspar. The whole area is contaminated with Lead and unsuitable for grazing. The current owners have planted trees on large areas of the contaminated land.

It survived longer than most making it into the 20th Century and apparently produced about half a million tonnes of ore in its time. In the 1930's it employed around 600 people. The mine is extensive and the upper (non flooded) levels are still explorable by permission.

Mineralogy

The mine produced lead (Galena) and zinc (Zinc Blende) with Fluorspar, Calcite and Baryte as the main gangue minerals. The Galena apparently contained virtually no silver and the Zinc Blende about 1% Cadmium. Other minerals occur in small quantities including the rare Cadmium based minerals Greenockite and Hawleyite along with Smithsonite, Hydrozincite, Cerussite and Hemimorphite.

Minerals found

All examples are from the spoil heaps just down from Watt's shaft. I briefly explored one high up in Cambridge Wood to the south, but obtained no specimens from there.

The spoil heaps are small and have been well picked over the years however I managed to find several examples of different coloured Fluorspar, Calcite, Zinc Blende, Barytes and, very luckily, some Greenockite and possibly Hawleyite.

Some useful references

Mindat: Details of minerals previously found here

Historic England's listing for the Engine House

The Lead mines of Stanton-In-Peak (Interesting paragraph at the end on Millclose Mine)

Some historical info on Millclose Grove Mine

Picture of miners at Millclose plus more recollections

3D reconstruction of the Millclose mine workings

The Peak District Mines Historical Society is another source of information via there Mining History publications, several of which have featured Millclose Mine..

There are quite a number of books that have been published on Millclose Mine, being one of the most notable Lead mines in the UK, of which copies are still available ... at least on the second hand market or via various research institutions as is the case of the first one listed below.

These include:

The geology and development of Mill Close Mine, Derbyshire by James G. Traill (published in 1939)
Millclose, the mine that drowned by Willies, Gregory & Parker.
Millclose, The Last Great Derbyshire Leadmine by Jim Rieuwerts
Old Millclose Mine, Wensley by Trevor D Ford

REWORKED SPOIL HEAPS OPPOSITE THE H.J. ENTHOVEN FACTORY

ENTRANCE TO THE FOOTPATH LEADING TO THE OLD MILLCLOSE MINE

VIEW OF THE SPOIL HEAPS AS YOU APPROACH THEM

LOOKING BACK AT THEM

ALL THAT'S LEFT OF THE OLD ENGINE HOUSE

WATT'S SHAFT CAPPED BY CONCRETE AND A GRILL

FRIENDLY CRICKET AT THE EDGE OF THE SPOIL HEAP

ATTRACTIVE POND IN CAMBRIDGE WOOD

CLEAR FLUORSPAR WITH CHALCOPYRYTE INCLUSIONS
(Taken with a digital microscope)

LARGE FLUORSPAR CUBES WITH SECONDARY FLUORSPAR ENCRUSTING

ATTRACTIVE LIGHT PURPLE FLUORSPAR

CALCITE

MICRO ZINC BLENDE CRYSTALS (Taken with a digital microscope)

GREENOCKITE ON FRESHLY CLEAVED FACE

POSSIBLE HAWLEYITE DUSTING ON FLUORSPAR
(Taken with a digital microscope)

THIS LOOKS LIKE OTHER EXAMPLES I HAVE SEEN ONLINE FROM THIS SITE BUT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SAY FOR CERTAIN

ANOTHER VIEW (Taken using the LX5)

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.

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.

Mineralogy

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.

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

CLEAR FLUORSPAR CRYSTALS ON CLIFF FACE

DOG TOOTH CALCITE CRYSTALS IN CLIFF FACE CAVITY

PURPLE FLUORSPAR

CLEAR FLUORSPAR CRYSTALS WITH CHALCOPYRITE INCLUSIONS

CITRINE COLOURED FLUORSPAR CRYSTALS

PYROMOPRHITE WITH SMALL UNKNOWN NODULES (LIGHT BROWN) PROBABLY SMITHSONITE

CLOSE UP OF NODULES (Taken using a digital microscope)

GALENA IN FLUORSPAR

HYDROZINCITE - WITH AN UNUSUAL PALE BLUE COLOUR

HYDROZINCITE CLOSE UP - APPEARS WHITE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. THE SPECIMEN ALSO CONTAINS MICRO ZINC BLENDE CRYSTALS

Ecton Hill Copper Mines

The 16th August 2017 found me re-visiting Ecton Hill, located in the midst of one of the most attractive areas in the Peak District National Park, and home to one of the oldest copper mines in the UK.

This is an area I had previously explored having come across it on a walk from the Manifold valley many years ago, where I took the opportunity to explore some of the spoil heaps and take specimens. On that occasion I had no camera with me; so wanted to return again to photographically document the area for this blog.

I subsequently discovered that Ecton Hill and the mines (including most of the spoil heaps) are officially designated as an Ancient Monument and covered by an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). As such they should not be disturbed or anything removed and taken away! There is even a Trust: EMET (Ecton Mine Educational Trust) based on the hill that provides facilities for field studies for students.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of signage on any of the spoil heaps I was totally unaware of this on my first visit to the hill.

There is ample parking space provided at the foot of the hill in the form of recessed unsurfaced lay-bys. These are labelled as EMET Parking on the map below.

Background

Evidence of mining here dates from the Bronze age (about 1500 BC) and copper appears to have been mined at various intervals right up to late Victorian times, with the mines finally closing in 1890's. The Deep Ecton mine was one of the most productive copper mines in Britain and, at the time, the deepest mine at a depth of 1350 feet.

There were various named mines and shafts on the hill including Deep Ecton mine (which is now preserved and has a visitor centre managed by the National Trust), Dutchman mine, Clayton mine, Waterbank mine and others to numerous to mention.

At around the late 1780's the mines were said to be producing over 4000 tonnes of copper per year and employed over 300 people. Apparently copper from Ecton was used to cover the bottom of ships of the British Navy.

Mineralogy

The Ecton mines contain an extensive series of copper minerals including Chalcopyrtites (Copper pyrites), Malachite, Azurite, Aurichalcite, Galena, Barytes, Calcite, Fluorspar and other rarer minerals.

Waterbank mine has a similar extensive range of minerals. See the references below for detailed information as it's too extensive to detail here.

Minerals found

Malachite, Chalcopyrites, Aurichalcite, Calcite, Barytes, Fluorspar, Galena, Dolomite