The Romans are known to have worked the surface outcrops along the Grits while Nineteenth century miners concentrated their efforts where several veins intersected, sinking shafts several hundred feet deep to reach them.
The sett was divided into seperate leases in the 1850s East Grit and White Grit. On the East Grit sett are the Old Grit and East Grit mines each with an engine house.
Old Grit - Very little of the 1783 pumping engine house survives. It once held a 30-inch Boulton & Watt beam pumping engine. The pump rods extended to a depth of 60m in the shaft which was sunk where two veins met - Foxhole and New Britain veins (a third, Rider vein was also very close and can be followed up the hill to Rider shaft). Later, the Wood drainage level (which followed the line of New Britain vein) terminated at this shaft 60m (200ft) below the surface, although the mine was much deeper than this. The narrow stone lined shaft is open, but flooded, typically, to within 15 to 20m of the collar.
Other shafts nearby Foxhole Air Shaft to the north-west (filled) and Bye Pit to the south-west, since 2016 Bye Pit has started to crown quite dramatically! Excavation of the tips at Old Grit has revealed that they consist largely of boiler ash.
East Grit - South-west of Old Grit are dressing floors and winding engine house of New Engine (or East Grit) Shaft. Built in the 1860s, probably by the mining engineer John Taylor, it also drove a winding drum and ore dressing plant. The water it pumped from the mine was used on the dressing floor. The remains are in better condition than Old Grit and the large size suggests the engine might have had a 40-inch diameter cylinder. It also has a flywheel slot in the wall just like the engine houses at Ladywell mine and New Central Snailbeach.
This shaft led to workings on Engine Vein, which intersects Rider Vein at Rider Shaft, but Engine shaft is now filled.
Public footpaths lead through the sett, but to view the East Grit engine house please get permission from the farmhouse.
The track from East Grit can be followed back to the A488, near which it crosses over Dingle or Squilver Vein. On the south side of the track, Dingle Shaft is completely blocked, though a large stream sinks in this area. Footway Shaft, just to the north of the track, is also blocked. On the brow of the hill, Hampsons Shaft is filled but Flat Rod Shaft is open to a rubbish infill at 60ft. The next shaft encountered is Stone Shaft, now blocked, followed by an area of gruffy ground in which Gardens Shaft and Old Shaft are located. The last shaft, Gough's Shaft, is by the side of the road and is blocked.