Clive Mine

Overview

The most extensive copper workings in Shropshire, driven through Triassic Keuper sandstone near the village of Clive, worked from at least the 17th century and most prosperous in the 1860s, when a patented hydrochloric-acid leaching process let the mine profitably treat ore too poor in copper for conventional smelting.

History

Mining at Clive is first recorded through 17th-century open cuts on surface outcrops of a narrow (roughly one-yard-wide) copper vein, which deepened into shafts as the workable ore near surface was exhausted. Thomas Spendiloves bequeathed the mine to his son John in 1703; John leased it to Roger Atcherley in 1711, while a separate, adjoining parcel — the 'Drepewood or Threapwood Mine' — was worked under Thomas Oswin from 1710, suggesting the same deposit was split between two owners. By 1739 Spendiloves was trying to consolidate both parcels for sale. The mine's most prosperous period came in the 1860s. In September 1862 William Henderson, manager of British Metal Extracting Ltd, sold the mining rights to James Thomas Harris; the following month Robert Gardner granted Harris and partners Kendal and John Coghill a 21-year lease. The Clive Copper Mining Co Ltd was formed and the lease soon passed to the Birmingham-backed New Clive Mining Co Ltd. Henderson's patented acid-leaching process was central to the mine's viability during this period: crushed ore averaging only around 3.5% copper — too poor to smelt conventionally — was packed into tanks with false bottoms lined with brushwood and straw, then treated repeatedly with dilute hydrochloric acid; the resulting copper-bearing liquor was run into precipitation tanks containing scrap iron and tinplate, which precipitated out a copper product of around 75% purity. Twenty-four tanks operated at the site, likely close to the Well Shaft. The main shaft was deepened to 183 feet in 1868, and a borehole sunk at the same time was converted into an estate water supply that remains in use today. The mine closed in 1869, and its acid-leaching tanks were sold on to the Van Consols Lead & Barytes Mining Company for use processing barytes at Bryntail Mine.

Workings

A narrow copper-bearing vein, roughly a yard wide, driven through Triassic Keuper sandstone along a fault line marked by prominent slickensides, worked by shaft and level with a long tramming level and an 80-foot winze; the 19th-century stopes contrast with earlier, narrower hand-worked sections that still show candle-soot marks. Copper, cobalt, manganese and iron minerals stain the vein walls in distinctive coloured bands, including Liesegang rings formed by chemical precipitation along the fault.

Closure

The mine closed in 1869 once the accessible ore was worked out; its acid-leaching equipment was sold on rather than left in place.

What remains

The mine is on private property with no public access; the Shropshire Caving & Mining Club maintains supervised access for members through two surviving entrances, Well Shaft and the Upper Workings, following 1990s stabilisation work. A 2010 club visit recorded extensive mineral-stained passages, the 80-foot winze, and areas of collapsed former floors.

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.

• Thomas Spendiloves bequeathed the mine to his son John in 1703, who leased it to Roger Atcherley in 1711; a separate adjoining parcel was worked as the 'Drepewood or Threapwood Mine' under Thomas Oswin from 1710. ¹
• In 1862 William Henderson sold the mining rights to James Thomas Harris, who with Kendal and John Coghill took a 21-year lease from Robert Gardner; the Clive Copper Mining Co Ltd was formed and the lease passed to the Birmingham-backed New Clive Mining Co Ltd. ¹
• Henderson's patented process treated crushed ore averaging around 3.5% copper with dilute hydrochloric acid in tanks, precipitating a copper product of around 75% purity using scrap iron and tinplate; 24 tanks operated at the site. ¹
• The main shaft was deepened to 183 feet in 1868, and a borehole sunk at the same time was converted into an estate water supply still in use. ¹
• The mine closed in 1869 and its acid-leaching tanks were sold on to the Van Consols Lead & Barytes Mining Company for use at Bryntail Mine. ¹
• A January 2010 visit recorded large interconnected passages, an 80-foot winze crossed by ledges and rope, copper/manganese/cobalt staining, triangular-section drill holes, and Liesegang rings along the fault. ²

Sources

1. (secondary) Clive Copper Mine — Shropshire Caving & Mining Club
2. (observational) Clive Copper Mine, Shropshire - 10 Jan 2010 — UK Caving forum

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