Magpie Mines

The Pennine Hills in Derbyshire were for many centuries one of the principal sources of lead in England, and there are many archaeological remains in the area of early workings. The Peak District Mines Historical Society has been responsible for conserving the remains of Magpie Mine, Derbyshire’s last working lead mine which is perhaps the best surviving example of a nineteenth century lead mine in England. It has a history of more than 200 years. In its early years lead ore was extracted from numerous fairly shallow shafts, all of which have now been capped or blocked. The most prominent surviving structures relate to a deep shaft sunk in the mid-nineteenth century, a Cornish engine house of 1869 which housed a pumping engine, and another engine house that accommodated a horizontal winding engine of the same date, and two chimneys of the 1840s from the boiler houses of earlier engines. A steel headstock stands above a 224 shaft that was used in the last phase of working at Magpie Mine in the 1950s. The winder that served the shaft is housed in a corrugated iron shed, one of only three such structures in England that are listed buildings. Other features of the site are a replica horse gin and the former agent’s house that is now a field centre. Magpie Mine is usually unmanned but it is open to visitors, and from time to time guided tours are organised. The site is managed by the Peak District Mines Historical Society from the Peak District Lead Mining Museum at Matlock.