The Cornish engine house
Built in 1869 to pump a shaft some 222 metres deep, it is the centrepiece of what is described as Britain's best-preserved 19th-century lead mine.
Simon Harrod from Uk — CC BY 2.0 · AndyScott — CC0 · Peter Barr — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Peter Barr — CC BY-SA 2.0
On a bare limestone plateau some 310 metres up, a stone engine house and its tall chimney stand as if the miners downed tools yesterday rather than nearly seventy years ago. Magpie Mine was the last working lead mine in Derbyshire; it finally shut in 1958 after more than two centuries of digging, and the society that looks after it calls what survives above ground the best-preserved 19th-century lead mine in Britain. It has been a Scheduled Monument since 1974, and the pleasant surprise is that there is no gate, no ticket and no opening hours: you arrive when you like and wander freely among the buildings. The centrepiece is the Cornish-style engine house, built in 1869 to pump water out of a main shaft that was sunk in 1823 and drops about 222 metres. Beside it stand two chimneys of 1840, one square and one round, along with the mine agent's house and the smithy, which together form the society's field centre and open to the public only on Heritage Open Days, and a small circular building understood to have stored gunpowder. Steel winding headgear from the 1950s gives the place an oddly industrial mood in the middle of sheep pasture. The shafts are capped with iron grilles and there is no way down, so this is a surface visit in the most literal sense. The site carries a dark story the surrounding villages still repeat. In 1833 a long feud between the Magpie men and the miners of the neighbouring Maypitt Mine, both chasing the same vein of lead, boiled over: one side lit fires underground to smoke out the other, and three Maypitt miners suffocated. Twenty-four men stood trial for murder and all walked free, the court accepting that they had been provoked and unable to establish who had done what. Out of that came the legend of a «curse» blamed for every later misfortune at the mine. Practically: the mine is about 5 km west of Bakewell, a ten-minute drive through Sheldon village. Roadside space by the access track is very limited, and the track itself is a private farm road you walk rather than drive; if there is nowhere to stop, park in Sheldon and walk the half mile. There are no facilities on site whatsoever, no toilets, no cafe, no shelter from the wind, with the nearest refreshment in the village, so bring what you need, wear sturdy shoes and skip it in heavy rain or a gale. Pushchairs will not manage the track, but children enjoy roaming the ruins provided they keep clear of the roofless structures and the grated shaft tops. The Peak District Mines Historical Society, which looks after the site, runs free guided tours on Heritage Open Days in September, and will arrange one for groups of six or more, the best time to come if you want the story explained rather than simply seen.
Built in 1869 to pump a shaft some 222 metres deep, it is the centrepiece of what is described as Britain's best-preserved 19th-century lead mine.
A square and a round chimney, both of 1840, stand beside 1950s steel winding frames, an industrial tableau dropped into open sheep pasture.
An 1833 feud ended with three miners from the neighbouring pit suffocated and twenty-four men acquitted of murder, and a legend that has clung to the site since.
Near Sheldon village, west of Bakewell, DE45 1QU
Not as a priority. With a single day, give it to Chatsworth, Peveril Castle or one of the dales. Magpie is a short detour for people spending several days in the area who enjoy industrial history or photography; an hour covers it comfortably.
No. The shafts are grated over and the visit is entirely above ground. For an underground experience, try Temple Mine at Matlock Bath, or the Castleton show caves such as Peak Cavern and Speedwell, all of which are ticketed and run as guided tours.