Westgate-Co. Durham · AditNow Community

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Barney
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

18 years ago

There are a couple of mines near this village, any ideas what they are called?

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sparty_lea
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

There are dozens of old lead and ironstone mines within a couple of miles of Westgate.

Slitt Vein is one of the major veins of the orefield and runs just north of the village. Some of the main workings were Slitt mine (lead), Middlehope (lead), West Rigg (mostly iron) and Heights Mine (ironstone).

Cambokeels which was originaly a lead mine but which worked up until the 1980's producing fluorspar is mid way between Westgate and Eastgate.

There's very little accessible in the neighbourhood now though

There are 10 types of people in the world.

Those that understand binary and those that do not!

sparty_lea
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

AND its in the NORTH EAST

😉

There are 10 types of people in the world.

Those that understand binary and those that do not!

Barney
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

18 years ago

"sparty_lea" wrote:
AND its in the NORTH EAST

😉

Whoops, sorry! 😞 I don't know much about oop norf!
Someone was telling me about an iron mine up there, the only clues as to which one is;
Walk along a river to get too it
Several building remains.
Possibly a S.S.S.I.

Simon, any chance of shifting this thread to the correct region pleeez? cheers.

simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration

18 years ago

'tis moved - but I still need to move the mines to the NE, just not had a moment to get that sorted 😞

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

sparty_lea
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

Maybe Slitt Mine, its a nice walk up through the wood alongside Middlehope Burn from Westgate. Not sure if its an SSSI but the council have produced a leaflet about the geology you can see in the stream and the mine remains so maybe so.

The mine itself isn't open but the surface remains are interesting there are bousesteads, the stream has been bridged over and there are the remains of the gritstone bed for the shaft winding machinery. The remains beside the stream are from a leadmine but there are openworkings on the hill behind (on the same vein) which were for iron.
Slitt mine remains
[img]http://www.aditnow.co.uk/showimage?f=/community/Personal-Album-78-Image-003/[/img]

West Rigg iron mine on the hillside just above Slitt Mine
[img]http://www.aditnow.co.uk/showimage?f=/community/Personal-Album-78-Image-004/[/img]

There are 10 types of people in the world.

Those that understand binary and those that do not!