Bage Mine

Overview

A lead mine at Bolehill, on the western edge of Cromford Moor near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, worked on the Bage, Butler and Wallclose veins from at least the mid eighteenth century until deep mining ceased in 1907. Bagshaw's 1848 directory called it the most productive mine in the district, and it is internationally known among mineralogists as the type locality of the rare lead minerals matlockite and phosgenite.

History

Workings on the Bage Mine's 58-metre level were apparently active as early as 1752, and the mine went on to become one of the most important lead workings on the eastern margin of the Derbyshire orefield, worked along the Bage, Butler and Wallclose veins through Visean Eyam and Monsal Dale limestone. Bagshaw's 1848 trade directory described it as the most productive mine in the district; later records show it yielded over half of all lead raised at Wirksworth in 1879 and remained one of only two substantial mines still working there by 1893. Employment at Bolehill peaked around mid-century — the 1851 census recorded some 395 people working in lead mining locally — before falling away sharply as output declined, to just 27 by 1894. Deep mining at Bage finally ceased in 1907. The mine is separately notable as the source of two rare secondary lead minerals: phosgenite, first collected from workings near Cromford Sough around 1785, and matlockite, found in old shaft debris by the mineral dealer Bryce Wright in 1851 and for which Bage Mine is the type locality, with the type specimen held by the Natural History Museum. The main shaft, Hard End Shaft (92 m deep), was reopened in 1980 by cavers/mine explorers, revealing around 2,740 m of levels reaching a maximum depth of 115 m.

Geology

The mine lies on the eastern margin of the Derbyshire orefield's Carboniferous Limestone platform, on the boundary between the orefield's barite and fluorite mineral zones, close to the contact with the overlying Millstone Grit. Workings were driven entirely through the Visean Eyam Limestone and Monsal Dale Limestone formations, following the Bage, Butler and Wallclose veins.

Workings

Three accessible levels — at 58 m, 72 m and 92 m — extend roughly 1 km northward toward Cromford, reached via the Hard End Shaft. The rare minerals phosgenite and matlockite are believed to have originated on the Wallclose Vein close to its junction with the Butler Vein, just below the level of the historic Cromford Sough drainage level.

Closure

Deep mining ended in 1907 as Derbyshire lead mining declined generally; a period of shallower working followed before the mine fell fully out of use.

What remains

Bage Mine is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geological and mineralogical importance. Its lower workings, below the level of Cromford Sough, are flooded, and no in-situ deposits of phosgenite or matlockite are now known, though further specimens have occasionally turned up in old debris.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Workings on the 58-metre level were apparently active as early as 1752. ¹
• Worked along the Bage, Butler and Wallclose veins through Visean Eyam and Monsal Dale Limestone, on the boundary between the Derbyshire orefield's barite and fluorite zones. ¹
• Three levels (58 m, 72 m, 92 m) extending about 1 km toward Cromford; the Hard End Shaft (92 m deep) was reopened in 1980, revealing about 2,740 m of levels to a maximum depth of 115 m. ¹
• Phosgenite was first collected around 1785 near Cromford Sough; matlockite was found in old shaft debris by Bryce Wright in 1851, and Bage Mine is its type locality, with the type specimen (BM89055) held at the Natural History Museum. ¹
• Bagshaw's 1848 directory called Bage the most productive mine in the district; it produced over half of Wirksworth's lead output in 1879 and was one of only two substantial Wirksworth mines still working by 1893. Local lead-mining employment fell from 395 workers in 1851 to 27 by 1894, and deep mining at Bage ceased in 1907. ²
• The BGS/Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue holds a plan for 'BAGE MINE' in Derbyshire, custodied by the Peak District Mines Historical Society. ³
• Bage Mine is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and its lower workings below Cromford Sough level are flooded. ¹

Sources

1. (primary) Bage Mine, Derbyshire (GCR Volume 36: British Carboniferous-hosted MVT Mineralisation) — Geological Conservation Review / Scottish Geology Trust
2. (secondary) Bolehill, Derbyshire — Wikipedia, citing Bagshaw's 1848 Derbyshire directory and census records
3. (primary) Mine plan: BAGE MINE, Derbyshire (feature 25074) — Peak District Mines Historical Society, via the BGS/Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue

Record created: 26 August 2026 · Last researched: 26 August 2026