East Roman Gravels Mine

Overview

A lead mine along the Hope Valley in the Shropshire hills, owned by the Earl of Tankerville and worked under a succession of operators from the 1770s to 1883, genuinely distinct from the larger neighbouring Roman Gravels Mine despite the closely similar name.

History

East Roman Gravels Mine, also known as Wood Mine, Hope Valley Mine, Upper Batholes Mine and West Tankerville Mine at various points in its history, was owned throughout by the Earl of Tankerville and stretched for over a mile along the Hope Valley, where the Hope brook had carved out a valley exposing numerous galena veins. Adits were driven into the hillside to exploit these veins from the 18th century, with a drainage tunnel, the Wood Level, delivering good returns in the 1790s. The mine passed through a long succession of operators: John Lawrence worked it in the 1770s, the Batholes Company Ltd took over in 1847, Frederick Jones held it from 1855 to 1866, the West Tankerville Mining Company Ltd from 1870, and finally the East Roman Gravels Mining Company Ltd from 1882. A visitor in 1825 described a horizontal steam engine on site -- a 24-inch cylinder, 4-foot stroke rotary engine used for winding -- as 'one of the most perfect little rotary engines'; a later Cornish beam engine was also installed, alongside an ore crusher house. In 1870 a new 30-inch engine and pumps were installed, but proved unsuccessful after only a year of pumping. A novel 1872 arrangement saw a single engine simultaneously pump and wind ore from three separate shafts -- California, Cornish and the South Boundary -- an unusual technique for the district. Despite this, the mine's final incarnation as the West Tankerville Mining Company Ltd was liquidated in 1882 and reconstituted as the East Roman Gravels Mining Company Ltd, which itself folded in February 1883, £3,000 in debt, having found no promising ore. The mine is a genuinely distinct operation from the larger, neighbouring Roman Gravels Mine, which had its own separate shaft near the South Boundary vein and its own separate history stretching back to Roman and medieval working.

Workings

Adits driven into the hillside from the 18th century to exploit galena veins exposed by the Hope brook, drained by the 1790s Wood Level; later worked via the California, Cornish and South Boundary shafts, the last three eventually served by a single combined pumping-and-winding engine from 1872.

Closure

The final operating company, East Roman Gravels Mining Company Ltd, was liquidated in February 1883, £3,000 in debt, having found no promising ore.

What remains

The mine's Cornish beam engine had been demolished by 1985; its horizontal winding engine house was converted into a private dwelling that same year, preserving the structure. The ore crusher house's truncated chimney and foundations remain visible.

A truncated crusher-house chimney and foundations, alongside the former horizontal engine house, now a private dwelling.

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.

• Owned throughout by the Earl of Tankerville, the mine was worked by a long succession of operators: John Lawrence in the 1770s, the Batholes Company Ltd from 1847, Frederick Jones from 1855 to 1866, the West Tankerville Mining Company Ltd from 1870, and finally the East Roman Gravels Mining Company Ltd from 1882. ¹
• A visitor in 1825 described the mine's horizontal winding engine -- a 24-inch cylinder, 4-foot stroke rotary engine -- as 'one of the most perfect little rotary engines'. ¹
• From 1872 a single engine simultaneously pumped and wound materials from three separate shafts -- California, Cornish and the South Boundary -- an unusual technique for the district. ¹
• The mine's final operator, the East Roman Gravels Mining Company Ltd, was liquidated in February 1883, £3,000 in debt, having found no promising ore. ¹
• East Roman Gravels Mine is a genuinely distinct operation from the larger, neighbouring Roman Gravels Mine, which had its own separate shaft near the South Boundary vein. ²

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Images

Sources

1. (primary) East Roman Gravels Lead Mine — I.A.Recordings
2. (secondary) Shropshire lead mines — I.A.Recordings

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026