Explore the history of lead mining in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales are famed for their outstanding natural beauty. This ancient, rugged landscape is perfect for walking – from gentle strolls to full-on hikes.

But it's also an area steeped in history. For many centuries it was the site of intensive lead mining.

Yes, at one time the Dales were the epicentre of lead mining in Britain – and Britain was the biggest producer of lead in the world. But long before its 18th-century peak, the landscape was being mined for the grey stuff.

There's evidence of lead mining in the area dating back to Roman times. As a Roman colony, Britain was expected to produce materials for the empire – so lead extracted from Yorkshire soil was sent to Rome for building projects.

The industry declined rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The last mine in the Dales closed in 1912, two years before the First World War.

By all accounts, lead miners had a hard life. Child labour was prevalent. Workers had no employment rights and the job involved long hours underground. It was physically tough and workers were paid poorly for their pains.

The industry has all but vanished – but it's left its mark on the Dales. Old machinery and disused mining buildings like peat houses and smelting mills abound.

If you're interested in the history of lead mining in the area, you're in luck. There are several places you can visit to see the remnants of a once-thriving industry.

The lead mines of Swaledale

Swaledale is a beautiful, dramatic area of the Dales boasting meadows, moors and woodland, drystone walls and barns. In summer, the Dales are festooned with gorgeous wildflowers.

But this idyll is also home to the ghosts of the lead mining industry. Starting in the village of Reeth, you can climb along the Old Gang. Here, there are clusters of spoil heaps, rusty machinery and ruined buildings as well as a lead mining wagon and rail.

Standing amid these eerie ruins, it's hard to imagine that once it was alive with back-breaking industry.

If you want to learn more about the industry, the Swaledale Museum is worth a visit. It features displays that cover lead mining, "hushing" and local geology.

It's open from June to September and – as the website charmingly notes – "at other times by chance or appointment".

As with a lot of the Dales, it can get windy up there, so choose the day you visit with care and make sure to wrap up warm if it's blustery.

Grassington Moor lead mining trail

This is a waymarked route that takes you up the long road from Grassington to the moor. It takes in a wheelhouse, smelt mill, chimney, engine shaft and more.

The trail is dotted with information panels where you can learn all about the history of the area.

Greenhow lead mining trail and the Coldstones Cut

This is a great walk for families. Like the Grassington Trail, it's waymarked, so you don't need map-reading expertise. And, for the sake of the kids, it takes in a play park in Greenhow.

Just down the road from us here at Stump Cross, this trail takes you through the eerie abandoned lead and fluorspar mines of the Nidderdale. In classic North Yorkshire style, it combines gorgeous views with the skeletons of mine shafts and buildings.

This walk also includes a trip to Coldstones Cut – a huge art installation on Greenhow Hill that looms over the Nidderdale.

People of all ages can explore this vast industrial sculpture. From its viewing platforms, you can look into the working quarry.

Nearby is the abandoned Toft Gate Lime Kiln. Part of it has been dug out so you can get a good look inside.

Yorkshire Dales lead mining app

This is a free app developed by Audio Trails. Part audio tour guide, part walking route database, the app offers galleries of lead mining pics, site descriptions and handy pinch-and-zoom Ordnance Survey maps.

Stump Cross Caverns

Here at Stump Cross Caverns, we like to celebrate our links to the area's lead mining history. After all, if it wasn't for the lead miners of Greenhow Hill, the caverns might never have been discovered.

We've talked elsewhere about the discovery of Stump Cross, but the short version goes like this. 

One bitter January day, two miners from up the road in Greenhow Hill were out looking for lead. They thought they found a seam and started to dig.

They didn't find what they came for – but they did stumble on a beautiful cave.

Show caves in Derbyshire were bringing in a good profit, so the men struck up a deal with a local landowner to turn Stump Cross into a tourist attraction.

A lot has changed since then. More chambers and passageways have been discovered – not to mention prehistoric animal remains. But the caves are as fascinating and mysterious today as they were on that lucky day in 1860.

Stump Cross Mining Co

The star of the Stump Cross show is of course the caverns – but we put on lots of different events and experiences too.

One of these is Stump Cross Mining Co. Children can role-play as lead miners panning for spoils in our gem sluice.

Not heard of a gem sluice? It's essentially a set of wooden troughs that are filled with water. This is the river in which kids can pan for real gems.

The process is simple. First, you take a bag of mining rough and pour it into a tray. You then start panning in the sluice, picking out the gems from the rough.

Participants get to keep the gems they find – and they also learn about the different types of gemstones through our accessible identification chart.

As well as being fun and hands-on, it's an educational window into North Yorkshire's lead mining history. We look forward to seeing you there!

Looking for outdoor education activities? Book a spot at Stump Cross Mining Co. today – or sign up for our cave tour and explore the magical underground world first uncovered by lead miners in 1860.