Smallcleugh Mine

Overview

One of the major lead mines of the Nenthead orefield, worked from 1787 along the rich Smallcleugh Cross Vein by the London Lead Company, and best remembered today for the Ballroom Flat — a huge flat-lying ore chamber where the local Masonic Lodge held an underground dinner for 28 guests in 1901.

History

Work at Smallcleugh began around 1770 in search of the continuation of Hanginshaw's West of Nent Vein, but this early attempt was soon abandoned. The mine was restarted in 1787 by an agent of the London Lead Company, this time along the Smallcleugh Cross Vein, which proved immensely productive. Beyond the Cross Vein, the mine also worked a number of other rich veins, including Middlecleugh (with its 1st and 2nd Sun Veins), Longcleugh and Great Cross. As at other Nenthead mines, ownership passed through several hands as lead mining in the district declined and diversified: the Nenthead and Tynedale Lead and Zinc Company and later the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company both worked the mine, extracting zinc ore from ground that had originally been worked purely for lead. Most large-scale operations at Smallcleugh had ended by around 1900. A brief attempt to reopen the mine in search of new ore reserves took place in 1963, but little large-scale mining resulted. The mine's most celebrated moment came on 2 September 1901, when 28 members of the local Masonic Lodge held a formal dinner underground in a large stope, since known as the Ballroom Flat — a name that reflects both the scale of the occasion and the characteristic shape of Nenthead's ore deposits, which often occur as broad flat areas of mineralisation rather than following a narrow vein.

Geology

The mine worked hydrothermal veins and flat-lying replacement deposits in Carboniferous limestone, sandstone and shale, with vein widths ranging from a millimetre to as much as 10 metres. The ore assemblage is coarse-grained, combining gangue (spar) minerals with sulphide ores, chiefly galena and sphalerite; more than 30 other minerals have also been recorded from the mine, including rarities such as annabergite and namuwite that have made it notable among mineral collectors.

Workings

Chiefly the Smallcleugh Cross Vein, alongside Middlecleugh (1st and 2nd Sun Veins), Longcleugh and Great Cross veins. Underground flats carry names reflecting their history and character, including Wheel Flats, Old Fan Flats, New Fan Flats, North End Flats, and the Ballroom Flat, site of the 1901 Masonic dinner.

What remains

Much of Smallcleugh remains accessible to properly equipped underground explorers, though a 2013 visit recorded major roof collapses blocking some routes and hazardous features such as a single rail bridging a drop to a lower level. The mine forms part of a wider landscape designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Geological Conservation Review site, within the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.

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.

• Work at Smallcleugh, first attempted around 1770 and abandoned, was restarted in 1787 by an agent of the London Lead Company along the Smallcleugh Cross Vein. ¹
• The mine was later worked by the Nenthead and Tynedale Lead and Zinc Company and then the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company, extracting zinc from ground originally worked for lead. ²
• On 2 September 1901, 28 members of the local Masonic Lodge held a dinner underground in the stope since known as the Ballroom Flat. ¹
• More than 30 minerals have been recorded from the mine beyond its principal galena and sphalerite ores, including rarities such as annabergite and namuwite. ²
• A September 2013 visit recorded major collapses blocking some routes, and hazardous features including a single-rail crossing known as the 'Bridge of death'. ¹

Photographs & further reading

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

Images

Sources

1. (observational) Smallcleugh Lead Mine - Cumbria, Sept 2013 — 28DaysLater Urban Exploring Forums
2. (secondary) Smallcleugh Mine, Nenthead, Alston Moor, Eden, Cumbria — Collection Place

Record created: 26 August 2026 · Last researched: 26 August 2026