There are few occasions when a site takes me totally by surprise but Cononley mine certainly did. This wonderful mine is positioned high up above the village of the same name (between Skipton and Keighley) and has been nicely conserved having the feel of still being "real" and not messed around.
The mine was worked intermittently from the 16th Century, but peaked during 1825 - 1882. The mine was reworked in the 20s and 50s for Barytes.
The engine house dates from the 1840s and had a rotatative beam engine. There is an engine shaft and a lovely 1 in 4 adit decline with stone arching.
See http://www.martinroe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/cononley/cononley%20tour.htm  for a fuller picture.

A top class site and should not be missed, plenty of atmosphere and some great photographic opportunities.
🔗Cononley-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-38500[linkphoto]Cononley-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-38500[/linkphoto][/link]

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how recent are the photos? Is the incline a walk-in and soes it go anywhere?

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I know this site well, I used to live in the next village and it is well worth a visit, plus the Earby museum is just over the hill. There was originally a smelt mill further down the valley (now demolished) but the line of the flue can be seen going up the hillside and disappearing into it, while on top of the hill is the chimey for it - the flue incorporates a shaft and adit. The incline is gated, NMRS control the site AFAIK, although a friend of mine went down it as a teenager in the late 1960s with a hand torch.... There are still some accessible workings down there I believe, but I don't know what state they're in, and I think some of the shafts in the area (other than the engine shaft) may still be open but I've never looked. There wer some mines downthe road at Lothersdale but they've been largeley quarried away - I can't remember whether there was anything visible/accessible in the quarry.

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NMRS?

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NMRS?

http://www.nmrs.co.uk/mainframeset.htm 

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Photographs were yesterday afternoon, incline gated but with my little LED torch could see it went well down. Local told me there are accessible stopes and as has rightly been said there are shafts in the area still open.

The stumpy chimney on top and its flue are still complete and I was surprised by the extent of the gruffy ground and surface works in the area....

As I said, really special feeling to the place and now in my top 5 of engine house/surface sites.

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Just thought you'd wanna see this as its got the local shafts etc on so may prove useful to understand the area..
🔗Cononley-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-38543[linkphoto]Cononley-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-38543[/linkphoto][/link]

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J.M Dickinson's book "Mines and t'Miners - A History of Lead Mining in Airedale, Wharfedale and Nidderdale" also has a fair bit on the Cononley mines. Mike Moore has a copy for sale - http://www.moorebooks.co.uk/shelves/cart.php?target=product&product_id=17094&category_id=318 

I keep meaning to go and visit the site again myself, so I really must make the effort soon! The engine house is one I'd always though would make a great place to live, although not much would grow in the garden......

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Eeeeeek... no don't say that... its far to nice as is to convert... I just wish all sites were as nicely conserved and left!! 😉

Re the garden ... you are right, there was absolutely b****r all growing on the tips! 😮

The mine pond was nice, not seen Oyster Catcher birds this far inland before...

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British Mining No. 33 (1987) "The Yorkshire and Lancashire Lead Mines" by M.C. Gill has a large section on Cononly including plans, sections and old photographs.