Caplecleugh High Level, Nenthead, Cumbria, OS Ref: NY78694287.
It is difficult to find a complete history on the Caplecleugh High Level. On London Lead Company plans it is shown to extend past Baisbeck's Crosscut in the east and all the way to the Low Level Rise to the Firestone in the west, dates on plans show that the forehead of Baisbeck's Crosscut was reached in 1863, and to the west 1843. This can clearly be seen on LLC plans for Caplecleugh and Longcleugh mines. In the west the level continues to within 400m of the Longholehead Whimsey. Graffiti dating to 1776 has been found in the eastern section.
The extension of the level to the portals that are known today was carried out by the Vieille Montagne Zinc Company in around 1915, they also drove the level to Bogg Shaft and used this east end as a spill way for waste water from the Bogg Shaft compressor installation. The last run to the portals was rendered in concrete, and many dams along the LLC driven level were built to divert the water to the portals, rather than having it flow into sumps. The waste water was diverted to Smallcleugh Dam for reuse in the Brewery Shaft compressor installation.
Around 500m of open level is accessible from the adits, before a fall in encountered. The only other known routes of access to Caplecleugh High are via Caplecleugh Low Horse Level and the hard route via Archers Rise and via the stopes around Bogg Shaft from Smallcleugh, however this last route only reaches some 150m of level. Caplecleugh High Level is also known as Hodgson's High Level