Sipton Mine

Overview

A Northumberland lead mine on the Blackett Level drainage system, worked from the 1860s and again from 1923-48, whose shaft housed the North Pennines' last hydraulic hoist engine.

History

Sipton Mine worked the Sipton Vein, about a kilometre north of St Peter's Mine at Sparty Lea in Allendale, a vein discovered during the driving of the Blackett Level -- a drainage tunnel being driven south from Allendale Town toward Allenheads to drain the lower levels of the Allenheads Mine. A shaft was sunk on the vein from the surface to aid the level's construction; the vein was worked for galena during the early-to-mid 1860s, and the shaft also gave access to Esp's Vein, exposed along the Blackett Level just under a kilometre to the north. Recorded company ownership begins with the W. B. Lead Co. Ltd from 1902 to 1921, and the Weardale Lead Co. Ltd from 1923 to 1948; the shaft itself remained in use until 1946, by then equipped with the last hydraulic hoist engine still operating anywhere in the North Pennine orefield. The mine supported its own workers' housing, Sipton Terrace, and a Wesleyan chapel built in 1862 at nearby Tedham, demolished before the First World War; the mine's own surviving buildings were demolished in 1950.

Workings

Worked the Sipton Vein and, via the same shaft, Esp's Vein a kilometre to the north, latterly hoisted by the last hydraulic hoist engine used anywhere in the North Pennines.

Closure

Reworked by the Weardale Lead Co. Ltd 1923-48; the shaft itself closed in 1946, with surviving buildings demolished in 1950.

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 Sipton Vein was discovered during the driving of the Blackett Level -- a drainage tunnel driven from Allendale Town toward Allenheads -- and worked for galena during the early-to-mid 1860s; the same shaft also gave access to Esp's Vein a kilometre to the north. ¹
• Recorded company ownership runs from the W. B. Lead Co. Ltd (1902-21) to the Weardale Lead Co. Ltd (1923-48); the shaft remained in use until 1946, equipped with the last hydraulic hoist engine still operating anywhere in the North Pennine orefield. ²
• Sipton Mine supported its own workers' housing, Sipton Terrace, and a Wesleyan chapel built in 1862 at nearby Tedham, demolished before the First World War; the mine's own buildings were demolished in 1950. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) Location Sipton (Allen Valleys Local History) — Allen Valleys Local History
2. (secondary) Sipton - Level & Shaft (Buddlepit Mine Database) — Buddlepit Mine Database

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