Moulds Side Mine

Overview

A scheduled lead-mining landscape west of Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale, recorded from as early as 1285 and shaped above all by hushing -- the dramatic Stodart Hush, 40 metres wide with cliffs to match, is one of the finest surviving examples in the North Pennines.

History

Lead mining in the Arkengarthdale area is recorded from as early as 1285, making Moulds Side one of the longest-worked lead landscapes in the dale. The dominant early technique was hushing: miners built a dam fed by hand-dug leats above the hillside, let water collect, then released it in a single rush to strip away soil and vegetation and expose the lead vein beneath. Stodart Hush, worked by Joseph Stodart from 1789, and the earlier workings of Joseph Harker from 1782, cut some of the most dramatic scarring on the site -- Stodart Hush itself runs 40 metres wide with cliffs 40 metres high on either side, among the finest examples of the technique anywhere in the North Pennines. Shaft mining followed through the 18th century, leaving prominent mounds up to 4 metres high forming distinctive rakes along the vein, and later adit mining -- exemplified by the Danby Lead Level -- drained and accessed the workings horizontally. Lead-mining in the wider dale was dominated by the CB (Charles Bathurst) Company, founded in 1654 when Dr Bathurst bought the whole of Arkengarthdale and its mining rights from the Crown. Ore was smelted on site in primitive wind-blown hearths known as bales in the earliest period; a purpose-built Octagon smelt mill, an unusual 32.6 by 21.3 metre structure with six ore hearths powered by a waterwheel and served by a 700-metre flue, operated from 1803 to 1822, after which a property dispute led to the construction of the CB Smelt Mill nearby, itself fitted with six hearths and a 160-metre flue.

Geology

Lead veins in the North Pennine orefield, worked along exposed rakes revealed by hushing.

Workings

Hushing dominated the earliest phase, using dammed leats to strip overburden from the veins; shaft mounds up to 4 metres high mark later 18th-century working along the exposed rakes, and horizontal adits such as Danby Lead Level provided later drainage and access.

What remains

Most standing structures survive poorly: the Octagon Mill's main building has been demolished, though its underground remains survive intact; the CB Mill retains only its north wall, about 4 metres high. The flue system has largely collapsed, with portions surviving beneath modern roads, and some access tunnels remain partially preserved.

Stodart Hush and other hush gullies, shaft mounds forming distinctive rakes, the surviving north wall of the CB Smelt Mill, and fragments of the flue system.

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.

• Stodart Hush, worked by Joseph Stodart from 1789, is 40 metres wide with cliffs 40 metres high on either side, one of the finest surviving examples of hushing in the North Pennines. ¹
• The Octagon smelt mill, a 32.6 by 21.3 metre structure with six waterwheel-powered ore hearths and a 700-metre flue, operated from 1803 to 1822; a property dispute then led to construction of the CB Smelt Mill nearby, with six hearths and a 160-metre flue. ¹
• Lead mining across Arkengarthdale, including Moulds Side, was dominated by the CB (Charles Bathurst) Company, founded in 1654 when Dr Bathurst purchased the whole of Arkengarthdale and its mining rights from the Crown. ²

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Lead mines and smeltmills at Moulds Side west of Langthwaite, Arkengarthdale — Historic England (via Ancient Monuments)
2. (secondary) Lead mining in Arkengarthdale — Yorkshire Dales National Park

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