This was part of a series of small mines commonly known as Plumbley Collieries situated in the Moss Valley near Eckington. The Moss Valley has an industrial heritage dating back to the 17th Century for Iron making.
In the mid 19th Century Plumbley Colliery engine house was built as part of its owner's (Mr John Rhodes) ambitious expansion plans for the area. He built a rail link from the mine to Renishaw (locally known as Penny Engine Lane which can still be seen) to connect with the Midland Railway. However his plans were deeper than his pocklets which resulted in his Bankruptcy.
The site was totally abandoned by 1901.
Today an engine house on the mine survives situated in the heavily wooded valley. It is NOT of Cornish design and did not contain a pumping engine although it looks reminiscent of such a building. The height of the engine house and the base of the engine (mountings) leads one to think that an overhead winding engine was used here. Local industrial archeologists are still arguing several years after its restoration I was told. There are the remains of the boiler house attached to the west side of the building. South of the engine house on the bank at the rear are the remains of the fan house and also the shaft hollow. Behind the shaft hollow is a raised area of ground which was the site of the pumping engine, this area is strewn with brick debris from this building.
Just in front of the engine house are extensive black spoil heaps with a very high coal content denoting them as old. There are extensive overgrown spoil heap all around the site but forested over.
NW of the engine house is what looks like a tramway and collapsed bridge over the wide shallow stream. Between there and the footbridge over the stream on the Sth bank is what appears to be a brick lined adit discharging water.
Overall this is an interesting and excellent site well worth a visit and has a fabulous atmosphere giving the feeling of really touching the past.