Durham Dales

The Mining Industry

Whilst visiting in the 21st century, it is hard to believe that the area was once at the forefront of the industrial revolution. The quiet, peaceful and beautiful landscape of today’s Weardale was once a bustling hive of activity, for beneath the scenic vistas and magnificent landscape lie vast deposits of iron ore, limestone, coal and lead.

These mineral deposits have been exploited through time, but it was with theindustrial revolution and mining boom of the 19th Century that these minerals began to be extracted in large quantities from the Weardale earth. As the surrounding areas of Tyne and Tees Valleys underwent rapid industrialisation and began processing iron and steel, they became dependent upon Weardale for the huge quantities of
minerals needed.

Today, mining is limited and although some impressive monuments from the past remain to hint at the former glories of the area, much of the landscape has been restored. The packhorse routes, originally used for transporting the minerals, survive and form a series of excellent walks from where you can view many remnants from the mining past, amongst glorious scenery.

One of the most impressive surviving legacies is the water wheel at Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum. Built to power ore-crushing machinery and now restored to full working order, it forms the centrepiece of the Killhope Museum, which offers the opportunity to experience life in a 19th Century lead mine. Near Rookhope, visitors will find the ruins of many buildings associated with the lead-mining industry, including an old smelt mill and a two mile long horizontal flue which gives the appearance of a stone path. Nearby, The North of England Open Air Museum, Beamish enables visitors to discover more about life in the North of England in the early 19th and 20th Centuries.

Places to visit in Wear Valley:
• Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum
• Weardale Museum and High House Chapel

other places to visit:
• Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum