Hubberdale Mines

Overview

A Peak District lead mine at Flagg near Taddington, worked along Hubberdale Pipe from at least 1666, whose richest years followed a chance 1767 discovery in the Whale Sough before a final, unsuccessful reopening attempt by the engineer John Taylor closed the mine for good in 1844.

History

The first documentary evidence of lead mining along Hubberdale Pipe dates from 1666. By the late 17th century the title to the pipe had been divided into two, Nether and Upper Hubberdale. A limited deep mine was established at Nether Hubberdale between 1737 and 1740, likely prompted by rich discoveries already being made at Upper Hubberdale. In 1741 an Article of Agreement was made to extend the Whale Sough to reach Hubberdale Pipe, and in 1767 this sough broke into rich workings in a previously unknown crosspipe: over the following four to five years, 20,000 loads of ore were raised, generating profits of £21,000. The mine's infrastructure reflects this prosperity -- the Allen Shaft, sunk between 1815 and 1816, is a double climbing-and-winding shaft, a design otherwise known in Derbyshire only at Magpie Mine. In 1840 the mine was reopened under the engineer John Taylor, who sank the Devonshire Shaft down to the sough level at 32 fathoms, reopened the Whale Sough and erected a Cornish pumping engine. The venture failed to raise significant quantities of ore, and the mine closed for good in 1844. The former mine buildings survive today as Hubbadale Farm, where two shafts remain on the site.

Workings

Worked along Hubberdale Pipe and, from 1767, a rich crosspipe reached via the Whale Sough; the Allen Shaft (1815-16) is a rare double climbing-and-winding shaft, and John Taylor's 1840 Devonshire Shaft was sunk to the sough level at 32 fathoms and pumped by a Cornish engine.

Closure

John Taylor's 1840s reopening venture failed to raise significant ore and closed in 1844.

What remains

The former mine buildings survive as Hubbadale Farm, with two shafts remaining on the site.

Two shafts surviving on the site of the former mine buildings, now Hubbadale Farm.

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.

• The first documentary evidence of lead mining along Hubberdale Pipe dates from 1666; in 1767 an extension of the Whale Sough broke into rich workings in a previously unknown crosspipe, raising 20,000 loads of ore and £21,000 in profit within four to five years. ¹
• The Allen Shaft, sunk between 1815 and 1816, is a double climbing-and-winding shaft, a design otherwise known in Derbyshire only at Magpie Mine. ²
• In 1840 the mine was reopened under the engineer John Taylor, who sank the Devonshire Shaft to the sough level at 32 fathoms and erected a Cornish pumping engine, but the venture failed to raise significant ore and the mine closed in 1844. ¹

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Hubberdale mines, Flagg — Mindat.org
2. (primary) Treasure 25: The John Wheatcroft Plan of the Hubberdale Possessions, 1840 — Derbyshire Record Office

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