# Smallcleugh Lead Mine, Nenthead - August 2008



## BigLoada (Aug 16, 2008)

Smallcleugh is one of the most well known lead mines in the North. It was started around the 1770s and mined by the London Lead Co. Operations ceased around the early 1900s. 

This is the Ballroom Flats. It is said there was a dinner party held here for the local masonic lodge








Heading toward the Longcleugh Vein, the bright shiny stuff on the ceiling is actually water droplets. The entire roof is covered in condensation at this point:







Looking past a shaft towards a fall:







Some nice stoping. Forget which part this was now:













Original 19th century miner's graffiti, I. Archer, August 23rd 1855:



















Nice archwork:












Ore hopper:







One of those lovely "crawl on yer belly" sections. Kneepads definitely required!:












Note the different colour of the arch. The lighter stone is sandstone taken from the nearby Flinty Fell quarry:







Ore hopper and airdoor:













Junction between the Hard Crosscut and the Smallcleugh Cross Vein:







Heading through the Hard Crosscut:







Dangerous shaft!


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## CHEWY (Aug 16, 2008)

Top stuff 

i like those arches.


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## BigLoada (Aug 16, 2008)

CHEWY said:


> Top stuff
> 
> i like those arches.



Thank you. THe Weardale mines are renowned for their beautiful archwork. The skill and effort out into these never ceases to amaze me, and they are so straight and accurate too.


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## CHEWY (Aug 16, 2008)

Always amazes me how they make such great things like the arches, then hardly anyone sees them.

you won't get that these days, just a pile of concrete


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## phill.d (Aug 16, 2008)

Nice one mate. I love anything with the rails still intact. The different coloured arches look good. It reminds me of a ghost train a bit, You get the feeling the hanging skeleton is behind that door lol


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## Sabtr (Aug 17, 2008)

Incredible stuff there mate. 

I can see now how this mine is special and why people are very keen to keep it open for all to see. The conditions under there are so different to the other mines we have visited in the area. Those miners must have been made of tough stuff in those days! Thanks for posting this up - I so want to see it now!!


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## BigLoada (Aug 17, 2008)

Sausage said:


> Incredible stuff there mate.
> 
> I can see now how this mine is special and why people are very keen to keep it open for all to see. The conditions under there are so different to the other mines we have visited in the area. Those miners must have been made of tough stuff in those days! Thanks for posting this up - I so want to see it now!!



Great! Well get some kneepads mate, you are gonna need them! George Hetheringtons Crosscut is about 60 metres crawling on the knees over rough stone.


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## Sabtr (Aug 17, 2008)

Lithium said:


> Great! Well get some kneepads mate, you are gonna need them! George Hetheringtons Crosscut is about 60 metres crawling on the knees over rough stone.



I have some knee pads.  Just gotta get permission to go out to play.


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## Foxylady (Aug 17, 2008)

Gotta love those arches...that stonework is just so nice. A ghost train! Heehee...I can just imagine that now you've mentioned it, Phill.  Good stuff!


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## BigLoada (Aug 17, 2008)

phill.d said:


> Nice one mate. I love anything with the rails still intact. The different coloured arches look good. It reminds me of a ghost train a bit, You get the feeling the hanging skeleton is behind that door lol



Cheers Phill. The reason the arches are a different colour is that the lighter coloured stones is sandstone taken from the nearby quarry, whilst the grey stuff is the limestone from the mine.


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## OSPA (Aug 17, 2008)

Great report, but dangerous, you must be very brave!


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## crickleymal (Aug 17, 2008)

Great stuff. A friend of mine goes up a couple of times a year to do some work underground at Nenthead. Dunno what they're doing, opening up old tunnels and stuff I think. I keep meaning to go up there myself but procrastination is a wonderful thing.


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## BigLoada (Aug 17, 2008)

crickleymal said:


> Great stuff. A friend of mine goes up a couple of times a year to do some work underground at Nenthead. Dunno what they're doing, opening up old tunnels and stuff I think. I keep meaning to go up there myself but procrastination is a wonderful thing.



I might know your mate. There is always stuff going on. A few weeks ago some of us went to dig out a roof collapse and put support timbers in.

There is work going on at present to clear Thompsons Level (opposit the Smallcleugh horse level adit). Always maintenance going on mate!


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## 3domfighter (Aug 17, 2008)

fantastic photos there. this reminds me of my explorer into some local caves as a kid but we only used candles and rolls of paper lit as our light source, we must have been deft as kids.


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