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- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
Cressbrookdale near Bakewell, Derbyshire is a dry carboniferous limestone gorge. Lead mining was an important industry in the Peak District, and for close to two centuries, was the world's most important lead mining region, until the penultimate decade of the 18th century. Since peaking then, lead has continued to be extracted with mining taking place right up to the 1960s. There are extensive remains from lead mining in the crags on the western side of the dale from Tansley Dale to Cressbrook itself. The dale’s cliff faces bear the remains of slit mines where lead ore was extracted and their associated spoil heaps. Once mined, the ore was then taken to the meadow area and washed with water from a reservoir half-way down the meadow, which in turn was topped up with water from the spring in the hillside. The dale also had a small mineral railway which was used to transport the ore from the mines.
One of the main mines was Neptune Mine (also known as Ney Green Mine). There is little to no information of the mine on the web. The mine is a straight drive along a west-east axis. Now accessed via a sloping bit of drainage tube, there is then a tight squeeze that takes you into the mine’s main adit. After approximately 30m, you then come to the mine’s main shaft that rises 20m up to the surface and down to lower workings, which are now flooded. These are negotiated via an improvised iron rail bridge (with safety line). Almost immediately to the right-hand side is a narrow working heading south for 35m which ends in a forefield. Continuing 30m along the main drive, a crossroads is then reached. A narrow passage to the left quickly ends sharply in 12m at a forefield. The passage to the right heading south-southeast runs for nearly 60m before again ending in a forefield. Another 10m on from the crossroads leads you to the second, internal shaft. This is again flooded and the main drive continues up to the left of the shaft for another 110m until a final forefield is reached. Here’s a map:
Map © J.S. Beck 2009
2. The Explore
Cressbrookdale is a fantastic place for a walk. Having reccied the mine the week before and deciding not entering due to lack of a rope, I returned a week later in the company of @BikinGlynn and his son. After squeezing down the entry tube and negotiating the narrow stone aperture at the end, we were into the muddy and stoopy main drive. The bridge of the shaft soon presents itself and for that bit of extra safety hooked our cowtails onto the safety line. The right-hand passage just after the bridge didn’t register with us at the time and we pushed on to the crossroads. The left-hand branch was a muddy crawl, so we passed on that and instead followed the right-hand branch stopping in the mud until we reached its conclusion. We then made our way back to the crossroads and continued down the main adit up to the second shaft. To continue would have meant scrambling over a collapse to the left of the flooded shaft and two of us didn’t fancy this so we headed back out. Big up to Glynn’s rope ladder which meant we were able to get out of the tube and back out to daylight relatively easily.
After we popped down the nearby Wardlow Sough. Originally dug open in 1976 by the TSG, the sough tail had collapsed and became blocked during the 1990s. DCA volunteers assisted Natural England in reopening the sough in September 2019. Entered via a tube with ladder, the sough is very muddy and continues for about 40m before it becomes pretty much impassable. After that, we then trudged back up the valley side and over to Wardlow to pick up our cars. All-in-all, nothing spectacular but an interesting couple of underground places in an idyllic part of Derbyshire.
3. The Photographs
It’s a lovely walk to the dale from Wardlow. The contrast from the week before, here:
And a week later after heavy rains was quite a contrast:
What appears to be an old shaft:
The area has been extensively mined but our main goal was Nepture mine. Entry is a squeeze!
Especially at the bottom of the tube:
Above two pics by Bikin’ Glynn.
Along the main adit we go:
Bikin’ leads the way:
And to the main shaft. Bikin’ is first across:
Although the shaft below is currently flooded, we clip our cow-tales onto the safety line:
My turn across the bridge:
The next section is under a bit of water:
Over a collapse:
Some deads hang ominously above!
The mine was trammed, was a very narrow gauge!
We then went up the side drive. It was stoopy and muddy and hard to take pics in:
Looping back and continuing down the main drive, we then get to the second (flooded) shaft:
Back out we go:
On the opposite bank to the mine is some mining activity. I think this is Arbor Seats Sough which runs for nearly 100m. However, it didn’t appear to be accessible:
Cressbrookdale near Bakewell, Derbyshire is a dry carboniferous limestone gorge. Lead mining was an important industry in the Peak District, and for close to two centuries, was the world's most important lead mining region, until the penultimate decade of the 18th century. Since peaking then, lead has continued to be extracted with mining taking place right up to the 1960s. There are extensive remains from lead mining in the crags on the western side of the dale from Tansley Dale to Cressbrook itself. The dale’s cliff faces bear the remains of slit mines where lead ore was extracted and their associated spoil heaps. Once mined, the ore was then taken to the meadow area and washed with water from a reservoir half-way down the meadow, which in turn was topped up with water from the spring in the hillside. The dale also had a small mineral railway which was used to transport the ore from the mines.
One of the main mines was Neptune Mine (also known as Ney Green Mine). There is little to no information of the mine on the web. The mine is a straight drive along a west-east axis. Now accessed via a sloping bit of drainage tube, there is then a tight squeeze that takes you into the mine’s main adit. After approximately 30m, you then come to the mine’s main shaft that rises 20m up to the surface and down to lower workings, which are now flooded. These are negotiated via an improvised iron rail bridge (with safety line). Almost immediately to the right-hand side is a narrow working heading south for 35m which ends in a forefield. Continuing 30m along the main drive, a crossroads is then reached. A narrow passage to the left quickly ends sharply in 12m at a forefield. The passage to the right heading south-southeast runs for nearly 60m before again ending in a forefield. Another 10m on from the crossroads leads you to the second, internal shaft. This is again flooded and the main drive continues up to the left of the shaft for another 110m until a final forefield is reached. Here’s a map:
Map © J.S. Beck 2009
2. The Explore
Cressbrookdale is a fantastic place for a walk. Having reccied the mine the week before and deciding not entering due to lack of a rope, I returned a week later in the company of @BikinGlynn and his son. After squeezing down the entry tube and negotiating the narrow stone aperture at the end, we were into the muddy and stoopy main drive. The bridge of the shaft soon presents itself and for that bit of extra safety hooked our cowtails onto the safety line. The right-hand passage just after the bridge didn’t register with us at the time and we pushed on to the crossroads. The left-hand branch was a muddy crawl, so we passed on that and instead followed the right-hand branch stopping in the mud until we reached its conclusion. We then made our way back to the crossroads and continued down the main adit up to the second shaft. To continue would have meant scrambling over a collapse to the left of the flooded shaft and two of us didn’t fancy this so we headed back out. Big up to Glynn’s rope ladder which meant we were able to get out of the tube and back out to daylight relatively easily.
After we popped down the nearby Wardlow Sough. Originally dug open in 1976 by the TSG, the sough tail had collapsed and became blocked during the 1990s. DCA volunteers assisted Natural England in reopening the sough in September 2019. Entered via a tube with ladder, the sough is very muddy and continues for about 40m before it becomes pretty much impassable. After that, we then trudged back up the valley side and over to Wardlow to pick up our cars. All-in-all, nothing spectacular but an interesting couple of underground places in an idyllic part of Derbyshire.
3. The Photographs
It’s a lovely walk to the dale from Wardlow. The contrast from the week before, here:
And a week later after heavy rains was quite a contrast:
What appears to be an old shaft:
The area has been extensively mined but our main goal was Nepture mine. Entry is a squeeze!
Especially at the bottom of the tube:
Above two pics by Bikin’ Glynn.
Along the main adit we go:
Bikin’ leads the way:
And to the main shaft. Bikin’ is first across:
Although the shaft below is currently flooded, we clip our cow-tales onto the safety line:
My turn across the bridge:
The next section is under a bit of water:
Over a collapse:
Some deads hang ominously above!
The mine was trammed, was a very narrow gauge!
We then went up the side drive. It was stoopy and muddy and hard to take pics in:
Looping back and continuing down the main drive, we then get to the second (flooded) shaft:
Back out we go:
On the opposite bank to the mine is some mining activity. I think this is Arbor Seats Sough which runs for nearly 100m. However, it didn’t appear to be accessible:
