Lady Annabella Mine

Overview

A working fluorite specimen mine at the former Blue Circle Cement Quarry in Eastgate, Weardale, opened under its present name in July 2020 by UK Mining Ventures Ltd and named for the operator's newborn daughter, Annabella Bruce.

History

The site was first known to collectors as the Blue Circle Cement Quarry at Eastgate, which began operating in the early 1960s and became renowned among collectors for the fluorite specimens it yielded, including emerald green material alongside numerous colour variants such as yellow, yellow-violet, lilac, rose-pink and mauve. UK Mining Ventures Ltd, the same operator behind the already-published Rogerley Mine at Frosterley, took over the site and launched it as a dedicated surface specimen-mining project in July 2020, naming it Lady Annabella Mine in honour of Annabella Bruce, the newborn daughter of the company's Ian and Diana Bruce. The mine works three named mineralised structures: the Bull Vein, its main focus, yielding fluorite in yellows, greens and purples; the Fairy Hole Vein, some 28 metres to the south, producing transparent green fluorite; and the Wilson Vein, the southernmost of the three, known for leaf-green interpenetrant fluorite twins. Since opening, near-surface mining has recovered a diverse range of specimen-grade fluorite from multiple named mineral pockets, with active operation continuing through the summer and autumn months each year.

Workings

Worked as a near-surface specimen-mining operation across three named veins -- the Bull Vein, Fairy Hole Vein and Wilson Vein -- within the Great Limestone Formation.

What remains

An active, ongoing commercial specimen-mining operation.

The former Blue Circle Cement Quarry workings, now worked at surface for mineral specimens.

Redevelopment

Redeveloped from a disused cement quarry into a dedicated fluorite specimen-mining operation from July 2020.

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 site was first known to collectors as the Blue Circle Cement Quarry at Eastgate, operating from the early 1960s and becoming renowned for fluorite specimens including emerald green material and numerous colour variants. ^1,2
• UK Mining Ventures Ltd launched the site as a dedicated specimen-mining project in July 2020, naming it Lady Annabella Mine for Annabella Bruce, the newborn daughter of the company's Ian and Diana Bruce. ²
• The mine works three named structures: the Bull Vein (yellows, greens and purples), the Fairy Hole Vein 28 metres south (transparent green fluorite), and the southernmost Wilson Vein (leaf-green interpenetrant fluorite twins). ²

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Fluorite Specimen Mining, Frosterley, Weardale, England — UK Mining Ventures
2. (primary) Lady Annabella Mine — UK Mining Ventures Ltd

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