A small reminder of what man has done to the planet.
Elizabeth I was Queen of England when
mining for copper began in this valley above Coniston.
Heavy mechanical hammers driven by huge water wheels
crushed and broke the ore.
A cacophony of bangs, rumbles and growls.
Women and children picked over the rock
separating the rich ore
and dumping the waste downstream.
A sterile spoil heap devoid of vegetation
snaking alongside Levers Water Beck.
400 years in the making.
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