LEAD ME TO THE LEAD (11/08/09)

SURFACE STRUCTURE.......What I assume is on the left, the shaft entrance, centre, part of an ore crushing and separation facility, and on the right an old engine house. Difficult to be sure as there is so little left. This operation runs for approximately a mile following Acomb Burn. As you will see it's a veritable jungle and would perhaps be more profitably viewed in winter. THE MINE OFFICE.....Like most, if not all mineral extraction businesses, this mine had a checkered history. The earliest workings were likely to date back to Roman times and would likely have been surface workings, there is evidence of numerous spoil heaps in the fields round about. Interestingly lead veins near the surface can be followed on a dewy morning by observing the colour of the grass, it takes on a bluish sheen. Deep mining started around 1600 and continued until the workings were flooded in 1734. In 1760 considerable money was spent to reopen the mine. Three adits or soughs were driven to drain the mine into the burn and in addition a steam driven pump was installed to drain levels below the soughs. The lead seam was worked on two levels 61 fathoms and 69 fathoms and must have been extremely profitable with lead accounting for over seventy percent of the ore recovered and silver being separated at four ounces per ton. In 1840 the price of lead presumably collapsed and the surface spoil heaps, once worthless, were found to contain Barytes and Witherite. Both sources of Barium a dense mineral four times heavier than water and only slightly lighter than lead. Barium is probably best known as Operations eventually ceased in 1913. Subsequent attempts to reopen the mine in the thirties failed to find any significant reserves. The whole area was left for nature to re colonise and a pretty good job she has made of it.

CULVERT......These are interesting, there are several covered culverts with what looks like spoil heaps above them. Makes one wonder why? I would have assumed it would have been easier to either remove the waste elsewhere or back fill the old workings with it.

TARZAN COUNTRY

Not as much to see as I had hoped, never mind I win some I lose some. more importantly so do you!