| Summary : The ruins, earthworks and other remains of the core areas of the Derwent lead mines. The monument, falling within five areas, lies on the east side of the Bolts Burn, between 2 kilometres and 3.5 kilometres south of Blanchland. The early history of the Derwent mines, known collectively since they were worked as a single enterprise for most of their history, is little known. A 21 year grant was made in 1624 to the Duke of Buckingham for all silver and lead within 10 miles of Muggleswick, including the Derwent mines. The mines were worked by the London Lead Company in the 18th century, though the majority of the visible remains relate to the Derwent Lead Mining Company in the 19th century. This company appointed John Taylor, considered to be the most accompalished mining engineer of the 19th century, to manage the mines and he introduced Cornish miners and their techniques to the mining operations. He built an extensive water management system based around the Sikehead Dams and an extensive system of flatrods, powered by large waterwheels on the valley floor; this system is one of the most complex known to survive on any related mining site in England. The extraction of lead declined after the late 19th century, though fluorspar extraction continued intermittently until the 1980s. Please see the four individual child records for a more detailed account of the remains of the Derwent lead mines. Scheduled. |