1975 misty day oblique portrait of the closed Park Level Lead Mine entrance, driven in 1853, closed down during the First World War and re-opened by Durham County Council in 1991 as part of the North of England Lead Mining Museum, Killhope, Weardale, North Pennine Orefield, County Durham, UK
A 1975, misty day, oblique portrait shot of the closed and sealed Park Level Mine entrance at Killhope, Weardale, County Durham, North East England. Lead ore at this location occurs in veins in the Carboniferous rocks of the area. In 1818 mining was controlled by the Lead Company, which leased mineral rights from the Bishop of Durham. In 1853 Lead began driving the Park Level Mine, which intersected eleven mineral veins. In 1858 a mineshop was built to accommodate the miners, saving them a long walk to and from the mine in a remote, rural area. In 1862 storage bays were built to store the lead ore. Washing rakes were also installed, water being used in the bays to separate the lead ore from waste material. In 1878 the Park Level Mill was built to speed-up the washing process, the main feature being the 'Killhope Wheel', a large iron water-wheel. In 1883, Lead closed all operations in Weardale, after the price of lead plummeted. Weardale Lead, a company taking over the Park Level Mine, ceased production in 1884. Park level briefly re-opened in 1916, during World War 1. Some sixty years of dereliction then followed, until Durham County Council took over the Killhope site in 1980 and started a programme of restoration. In 1991 the 'Killhope Wheel' was restored to working order. In 1996, the Park Level Mine was re-opened. The site is now the North of England Lead Mining Museum.
Size: 1995px × 2946px
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 19th, century, closed, county, day, durham, east, england, entrance, historic, history, killhope, lead, level, mining, misty, museum, north, orefield, park, pennine, portrait, rural, sealed, uk, weardale
