MineArchiveHorsesteps Mine
| Location | within the Sheldon scheduled enclosure, 700m south of Sheldon, Derbyshire — 53.1970, -1.6825 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Lead |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | to 19th century |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure specific to Horsesteps has yet been located. |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
The fifth of the five lead mines -- alongside Magpie, Dirty Red Soil, Great Red Soil and Maypit -- sharing a single scheduled walled enclosure near Sheldon, together forming one of the most complete surviving examples of a Derbyshire lead-mining site.
History
Horsesteps Mine is the least individually documented of the five workings -- Magpie, Dirty Red Soil, Great Red Soil, Maypit and Horsesteps -- enclosed within a single walled Scheduled Monument some 700 metres south of Sheldon, on a limestone plateau at around 310 metres above sea level. Lead mining at the site as a whole is recorded back to at least the 17th century, with the Shuttlebark vein officially opened in 1682, and lead mining flourished around Sheldon through the 18th and 19th centuries; the combined preservation and documented history of the enclosure's mines is considered to illustrate the development of Derbyshire lead mining generally, including 19th-century Cornish mining influence, but no source found during this research separates out a distinct history for Horsesteps from that of its four neighbours.
Workings
No workings detail specific to Horsesteps, as distinct from its four neighbours within the shared enclosure, has yet been located.
Closure
No reliable specific closure date for Horsesteps itself has been located.
What remains
Surface remains lie within the same protected walled enclosure as Magpie, Dirty Red Soil, Great Red Soil and Maypit, managed together as a Scheduled Monument.
Surface remains within the shared walled enclosure; no detail distinguishing Horsesteps's own specific structures from its neighbours has yet been located.
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.
- Horsesteps is one of five lead mines -- Magpie, Dirty Red Soil, Great Red Soil, Maypit and Horsesteps -- enclosed within a single Scheduled Monument near Sheldon. 1
- Lead mining at the Sheldon site is recorded from at least the 17th century, with the Shuttlebark vein officially opened in 1682. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
PDMHS's own history of the wider Sheldon enclosure that Horsesteps forms part of.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Magpie, Dirty Red Soil, Maypit, Horsesteps and Great Red Soil lead mines and a limekiln (List Entry 1019490) — Historic England
- (secondary) Derbyshire lead mining history — Wikipedia
Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026