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- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
Not too much history on this one. Hand Dale mine is a typical 19th century lead and ironstone mine located close to Hartington, Derbyshire. Accessed via a single adit, it was entered via a deep horizontal entrance cut through rock,15 metres long and five metres high. The mine’s waste tip is to the southwest and stand two metres in height.
The mine was first officially registered circa 1850 as a lead mine by the Sheepridge Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Staveley Iron and Chemical Co Ltd, who owned blast furnaces in Chesterfield and also presumably extracted ironstone from the mine for their ironstone mill at Desborough. The 1880 Ordnance Survey map already records it as an 'Old Ironstone and Lead Level’ (see below):
2. The Explore
Just happened to be passing this place and had it pinned so parked up. We then quickly found access to the adit after passing the waste tip to our right. The entrance itself is pretty impressive given the smallish nature of lead mines in Derbyshire. We knew it was a straight drive for 300m and didn’t expect too much. In the end, it was a bit of a gem and turned out to be a lovely mine; pretty clear, a good height, original features and lots of sparklies. We got just about to the end, then there is a collapse. Given we’d walked the best part of 300m already, so we didn’t do the tight squeeze through for what would have probably only been a little bit more of the same. Overall, though, a cracking little place.
3. The Pictures
Loading platform?
Overview of the area:
On and into the adit. Security pictured:
And we’re in!
On we push:
Sleeper holes clearly visible:
The odd wooden reinforcement here and there:
Here’s the pretties:
This sheep wasn’t so lucky:
A couple of small trial digs:
Onward!
More pretties:
Some stacked up deads:
More deads and sparklies:
Finally we hit the big collapse:
Time to head back out:
And looking back out again:
Not too much history on this one. Hand Dale mine is a typical 19th century lead and ironstone mine located close to Hartington, Derbyshire. Accessed via a single adit, it was entered via a deep horizontal entrance cut through rock,15 metres long and five metres high. The mine’s waste tip is to the southwest and stand two metres in height.
The mine was first officially registered circa 1850 as a lead mine by the Sheepridge Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Staveley Iron and Chemical Co Ltd, who owned blast furnaces in Chesterfield and also presumably extracted ironstone from the mine for their ironstone mill at Desborough. The 1880 Ordnance Survey map already records it as an 'Old Ironstone and Lead Level’ (see below):
2. The Explore
Just happened to be passing this place and had it pinned so parked up. We then quickly found access to the adit after passing the waste tip to our right. The entrance itself is pretty impressive given the smallish nature of lead mines in Derbyshire. We knew it was a straight drive for 300m and didn’t expect too much. In the end, it was a bit of a gem and turned out to be a lovely mine; pretty clear, a good height, original features and lots of sparklies. We got just about to the end, then there is a collapse. Given we’d walked the best part of 300m already, so we didn’t do the tight squeeze through for what would have probably only been a little bit more of the same. Overall, though, a cracking little place.
3. The Pictures
Loading platform?
Overview of the area:
On and into the adit. Security pictured:
And we’re in!
On we push:
Sleeper holes clearly visible:
The odd wooden reinforcement here and there:
Here’s the pretties:
This sheep wasn’t so lucky:
A couple of small trial digs:
Onward!
More pretties:
Some stacked up deads:
More deads and sparklies:
Finally we hit the big collapse:
Time to head back out:
And looking back out again:
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