Originally a lead mine operated by the London Lead Company from 1770 to 1880, this mine transitioned to producing barytes in 1884 and continued operations until 1937. Athol G Allen Ltd held the lease from 1939 to 1981, during which they explored the ground for witherite and barytes, with some production.
The provided grid reference is for the main adit, which has since been blocked. The mine worked several veins, including Wensley Vein, Read Vein, Nacky or Old Sun Vein, White Vein, Little White Vein, Cavern Vein, Lunehead No 1 Vein, and Hunters Vein. The workings intersected extensive sections of cave passage, and the dumps from this adit provided the first Northern Pennine occurrence of carbonate-cyanotrichite.
- 1806-1807 Messrs Hopper & Co.
- 1831 Mr Kemp & Co.
- 1834-1855 Lunehead Mining Co.
- 1855-1882 London Lead Co.
- 1884-1885 John Slack & Co.
- 1886-1887 W. Williams
- 1888-1903 Lunehead Lead & Barytes Mining Co.
- 1904-1928 J.G. Reynoldson
External Links
Publications (14)
- (1922); BGS - Mineral Resources of GB (c1920s) Vol II - Barytes and Witherite; 136 pages
- (1922); BGS - Mineral Resources of GB (c1920s) Vol XXVI - Lead & Zinc Ores or Durham, Yorkshire & Derbyshire; 126 pages
- (1976); MSG - Journal 08 - Journal; 90 pages
- BGS - Mine Plans (large, zoomable) - Lunehead Mine And Caverns Teesdale County Durham; 1 pages
- Dickinson, J.M. & Gill, M.C.; NMRS (1983); British Mining 21 - Greenhow Lead Mining Field, The; ISBN 0 901450 23 5; pp.103.
- Fairbairn, Raymond A.; NMRS (2005); British Mining 77 - Mines of Upper Teesdale, The; ISBN 0901450 59 6; pp.13,49-52,162.
- Gill, M.C. & Burt, R.; NMRS (2003); British Mining 72 - Mines of Yorkshire, The; ISBN 0901450 56 1; pp.13,54,68,73,136,187-188,226,259-263,294,325,347,384,387,402.
- NMRS (1971); Memoirs Vol2, No.1; pp.2-3.
- NMRS (1972); Memoirs Vol2, No.2; pp.45-48.
- NMRS (1973); Memoirs Vol2, No.3; pp.129,131.
- NMRS; British Mining 45 - Memoirs 1992; pp.158.
- NMRS; British Mining 55 - Memoirs 1995; pp.139,150.
- NMRS; British Mining 67 - Memoirs 2000; pp.108.
- NMRS; British Mining 90 - Memoirs 2010 - 50 Years of Mining History; pp.34,37,44-45.
