Burgam is a small lead mine, believed to have commenced operations in the early 1800s and ceased around 1962. In addition to lead, the mine also produced some barite. The early 1970s marked the appearance of pyromorphite specimens from this site. The mine was introduced to collectors by Ike Wilson and Dick Barstow, who frequently collected samples from a small stope. This stope’s footwall contained vuggy veins composed of brecciated barite and pyromorphite. Upon initial exposure, some of these cavities were filled with sugary pyromorphite that flowed abundantly, creating a spectacular visual effect.
Publications (5)
- (1922); BGS - Mineral Resources of GB (c1920s) Vol XXIII - Lead & Zinc: Pre-Carboniferous Shropshire & North Wales; 111 pages
- Adams, D.R. (1964); PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) 02-3 May - Survey of the South Shropshire Lead Mining Area Part 2; 11 pages (111-121)
- Brown, Ivor J. (1990); PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) 11-2 Win - Burgam - Shropshires Last Working Metal Mine, 1957-1963; 5 pages (80-84)
- Sarjeant, William A.S. (1967); PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) 03-3 May - Pyromorphite from the Mines of West Shropshire; 3 pages (175-177)
- Shropshire Caving and Mining Club (1979); PDMHS (Peak District Mines Historical Society) 07-4 Oct - An Attempt to Save the Snailbeach Mining Area from Land Reclamation; 4 pages (208-211)
