Riber Mine

Overview

A post-war lead and zinc mine driven into the hillside at Starkholmes below Riber Castle in the 1950s by Matlock Lead Mines Ltd; it struck the vein 60 feet below the level of the Derwent, raised perhaps 20,000 tonnes of ore and closed in 1959.

History

In 1950 the rising price of lead led Derbyshire Stone and the Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company to form Matlock Lead Mines Ltd and prospect around Matlock by geophysics and boring from a base at Bath Fields, Starkholmes. Drifts in several places gave poor results, and work turned to the ground below High Tor, Starkholmes and Riber. A 9 by 8 foot drift was driven at 16 degrees into Riber hillside, breaking into early workings that one observer thought Roman, and in 1956 a wooden water pump thought to be more than 500 years old was found in old workings 60 feet below the level of the River Derwent. After six years the drift, over 800 feet long, had reached the vein 1,000 feet below Riber Castle, and ore was sent to a crushing plant.

Promising drilling results were dashed when the ore was seen in place. Work by Matlock Lead Mines stopped in April 1956 and the mine reverted to Derbyshire Stone as lords of the field, which carried on small-scale working until falling lead prices closed it in 1959; Matlock Lead Mines was wound up in 1962. Total lead ore production probably exceeded 20,000 tonnes, and what was learned at Riber was applied to the development of Middleton Mine.

Geology

Lead and zinc ore in the Great Rake and associated veins in the limestone of Riber hill.

Workings

An inclined drift 9 by 8 feet at 16 degrees, over 800 feet long, with 2 ft 3 in gauge track; prospecting drifts and boreholes around Starkholmes and High Tor.

Closure

Matlock Lead Mines stopped work in April 1956; Derbyshire Stone continued on a small scale until falling lead prices closed the mine in 1959.

What remains

The concrete-lined adit entrance survives between two arms of the waste tip, with rail track still in place (1972).

A concrete-lined adit portal, 2 ft 3 in gauge rails and the waste tip.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Lead ore production from Riber probably exceeded 20,000 tonnes. (uncertain) ²

Recorded claims

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

• Riber Mine was begun in 1950 by a consortium of Derbyshire Stone and Johannesburg Consolidated Investments, as Matlock Lead Mines Ltd. ^1,2
• In 1956 a wooden water pump thought to be more than 500 years old was found in ancient workings 60 feet below the level of the River Derwent. ¹
• After six years' work the drift, over 800 feet long, reached the vein 1,000 feet below Riber Castle. ¹
• Work by Matlock Lead Mines stopped in April 1956; Derbyshire Stone continued small-scale working until falling lead prices closed the mine in 1959. ²
• Lead ore production from Riber probably exceeded 20,000 tonnes. (uncertain) ²
• Knowledge gained at Riber was applied to the development of Middleton Mine. ²
• A plan of Riber Mine is among the deposited mine plans. ³

Sources

1. (secondary) Matlock and Matlock Bath : Lead Mining in Matlock and Matlock Bath — Andrews Genealogy (Matlock & Matlock Bath history)
2. (secondary) MDR3055 Riber Mine, Starkholmes, Matlock Town — Derbyshire Historic Environment Record
3. (primary) BGS mine plan: Plan of Riber Mine — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026