Gang Mine

Overview

Gang Mine, also known as Dovegang, was already 'ancient' by 1652 and had a large output in the 17th century; its lead-poisoned spoil heaps now support a nationally rare community of metal-tolerant plants, protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

History

The Dovegang lead mine, centred close to the Cromford-Wirksworth road, was already described as 'ancient' in 1652; its main vein ran west to east for about half a mile from Milkham Bottom, Middleton, flanked by an old packhorse road. 'Gang House', referred to in the 17th century, was the mine's centre, and a flattened mound nearby is thought to mark the site of an engine pit dating to the 1630s. Other identifiable 17th-century features include the Forefield Coe, the Little Coe and Shore Shaft. The mine is known to have been working in the 16th century and had a large output in the 17th, making it historically important; its 'tumultuous course' was the subject of a 1953 article by Nellie Kirkham in the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Archaeological watching briefs at Dene Quarry, immediately east of the site, carried out between 2002 and 2008, recorded several drystone-lined shafts -- most likely climbing shafts, given surviving wooden stemples used to scale them -- along with spoil heaps built up from several distinct episodes of mining. Recovered pottery, though too sparse to date the shafts precisely, was mostly of 18th- and 19th-century date. The waste spoil from centuries of working left the ground so contaminated with lead that ordinary plants cannot grow there; the resulting metal-tolerant grassland, now managed as the Gang Mine nature reserve, supports nationally rare species including spring sandwort and alpine pennycress (both locally called leadwort), and is protected both as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and, under European law, as a Special Area of Conservation.

Geology

A lead-bearing vein worked for half a mile from Milkham Bottom to the Cromford-Wirksworth road, with spoil heaps rich enough in residual lead to support a rare metal-tolerant plant community.

Workings

A major 17th-century mine with a documented engine pit (1630s) and named coes and shafts; drystone-lined climbing shafts recorded in 21st-century archaeological watching briefs.

Closure

No definite closure date was found in the sources read for this pass.

What remains

Managed today as the Gang Mine nature reserve by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, protected as an SSSI and Special Area of Conservation for its lead-tolerant flora.

Spoil heaps, hillocks and the site of the 1630s engine pit survive; a restored dew pond on the reserve provides habitat for great crested newts.

Related mines

• Nether Ratchwood and Rantor Lead Mines — Hannage Sough, which opened Ratchwood and Rantor to working, was driven by the Committee of the Wirksworth Lead Miners -- also known as the Dovegang Company, after the neighbouring Dovegang/Gang Mine.

Nearby mines

• Bage Mine — 0.8 km SE
• Nether Ratchwood and Rantor Lead Mines — 0.9 km S
• Hopton Wood Quarries and Middleton Mine — 1.2 km W
• Meerbrook Sough Mine — 1.2 km S
• Twentylands Mine — 1.2 km S

Straight-line distance, within 15 km. Show on the map.

Recorded claims

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

• The Dovegang lead mine was regarded as 'ancient' in 1652; its vein ran for about half a mile from Milkham Bottom, Middleton, to the Cromford-Wirksworth road, with 'Gang House' as its 17th-century centre and a probable 1630s engine pit nearby. ¹
• Archaeological watching briefs at Dene Quarry between 2002 and 2008 recorded several drystone-lined climbing shafts with surviving wooden stemples, and spoil heaps built up from several distinct episodes of mining activity, with recovered pottery mostly of 18th-19th century date. ¹
• The reserve's name comes from 'gangue', the waste minerals dumped around the mine's shafts; the resulting lead-rich spoil supports nationally rare plants including spring sandwort and alpine pennycress, and is protected as an SSSI and Special Area of Conservation. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Derbyshire HER: Dovegang/Gang Mine, Dark Lane, Cromford (MDR3058) — Derbyshire Historic Environment Record
2. (secondary) Gang Mine (Nature Reserve) — Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026