Category: Weardale
-
Harehope Quarry
I had heard of Frosterley “marble”—a misleading name for what is actually a dark, durable limestone. It can be cut and polished like real marble, but unlike the genuine article, it is riddled with fossils, mainly solitary corals, which create peculiar patterns when sliced open. It has been used extensively in buildings of note, including…
-
Harehope Burn Lead Mine
What a thrill it is to stumble upon the unexpected. A bit of history, a scenic spot, or perhaps a fleeting moment with nature. Weardale is unfamiliar to me, and my expectations were suitably low for the hills south of Wolsingham. So imagine my joy when we found the remains of Harehope Burn Lead Mine,…
-
Low Slitt Lead Mine, Weardale
This is what’s left of the Low Slitt Lead Mine, once one of the biggest mines in the North Pennines. The mine had a long history, with lead ore extraction going on as early as two centuries before it really took off in the early 1700s, thanks to the efforts of the Sir William Blackett…