Tilberthwaite Copper Mine (Water Fall Level), Coniston

Summary

Tilberthwaite copper mine is situated near to Tilberthwaite.

Identification Images (2)

Monument Types

Description

An ancient copper mine occupying an 800ft broad belt of land between the waterfall at the head of Tilberthwaite Gill (NY299008) and a SW-NE line of workings near the old mine road at NY299010. The last work was in 1942.


Mining Details: The exploited a system of seven E-W to ENE-WSW vein. From N to S the five named ones are North Lode, Shaft Lode, Benson's Lode, Benson's South Lode and Spedding's Lode. There are numerous relatively minor workings on the backs of the veins but the major work was done from the Water Fall Level (20111*0 NY299008), and the Deep Adit (Not NT Owned, NY30550070), 145ft and 550ft below surface respectively. Both levels were driven to intersect all the lodes in depth. The Waterfall Levl entrance is near the foot of the waterfall at the head of Tilberthwaite Gill (20111*0, NY299008), and the entrance to the Deep Adit is in Horse Crag Quarry (Not NT Owned, NY30550070). The Deep Adit, 1,039 yards in length, was driven ny John Barratt in about 1850. About 80 yards in from its entrance is a sizeable subterranean slate working or close head.


History: The mine was worked by the Elizabethans in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and various fragmentary records show it also to have been worked in the 18th century. From the 1850's- possibly earlier- until 1908, it was held by the owners of Coniston Copper Mines, the Barrat family (1850-1875); Thomas Wynn (1875-1894); and Charles Day (1894-1908). In 1912-1913 the mine was owned by the Central Chile Copper Company Ltd, and in 1917 by the Langdale Silver Lead and Copper Company Ltd. The final tenant was the Greenburn and Tilberthwaite Minng Company of London who in about 1930, cleaned out the Deep Adit and put a ladder way through to surface. Nothing of value was found and in 1942 the company was in liquidation. None of the proprietors appear to have done particularly well out of the mine (Adams, J. 1988).


(Northern Archaeological Associated 2020)
Two buildings along a seam near Tilberthwaite beck. The first building has three rooms and is located along and old wall with a platform to the rear. Part of a gable remains intact. The total area of the building is 8x5m. The wall extends up to a second building consisting of a single room, 6x4m. To the rear of both buildings extends a cut seam that extends 300 from the west of Tilberthwaite beck, outside the survey area to just north-east of the buildings. The seam is about 1.5m across of varying depths.

References

Designations

Other Statuses and References

Associated Events

Associated Finds

None Recorded

Related Records

None Recorded