Snake Mine

Overview

A small 19th-century lead mine near Hopton, worked on a number of east-north-trending scrins, well documented in production records from 1857 and finally worked out on a one-man scale into the 1920s by a Mr Hodgson -- now a Scheduled Monument, excavated by the Peak District Mines Historical Society in 1967.

History

Snake Mine sits on a number of scrins (small veins) running east of north, and seems to have reached its heyday in the mid-19th century: White's Directory reported it very productive in 1857, though no statistics survive from that year. Documented production figures, drawn from H.M. Inspector of Mines reports and the account books of Samuel Sheldon, Deputy Barmaster for Middleton-by-Wirksworth, begin in 1876 and show a mine already in decline: 1 ton 10 cwt in 1876, rising to a peak of 9 tons 15 cwt in 1879 before falling away, with several years in the early 1880s recording no ore at all. By the late 19th century Snake Mine had become little more than a one-man operation, with only occasional small quantities recorded through the 1890s and 1900s. Work continued sporadically until about 1920 under a Mr Hodgson, who was still living in Grimsby when interviewed decades later; a photograph from around 1913 shows the mine's horse-gin still standing, if shakily, suggesting recent use. The discovery of L-shaped timber rails at the 230-foot level hints that some of the workings may be considerably older than the documented 19th-century history, possibly dating back 150-200 years earlier to the 17th century. The surface remains -- an oval hillock some 100 feet by 70 feet, containing the main shaft, a ruined coe, an ore buddle, a climbing shaft and the centre stone of a horse-gin -- were excavated and surveyed by members of the Peak District Mines Historical Society over the first half of 1967. In 1964, before that excavation, the Nottingham Mines Research and Exploration Group had already explored the mine underground with the same Mr Hodgson as their guide, working from the climbing route he had used prior to the 1930s; chain ladders still in position at the time were removed to allow a safe descent, and two unused tallow candles were found among the old workings.

Workings

Worked on a series of east-north-trending scrins from a main 'D'-shaped shaft 250 feet (76 metres) deep, alongside a 33-foot climbing shaft reaching further workings below; ore was raised via a horse-gin and broken up in a coe (miners' hut) on the surface.

Closure

Worked sporadically until about 1920 by Mr Hodgson of Grimsby, after which mining ceased; the mine was excavated and surveyed by the Peak District Mines Historical Society in 1967.

What remains

A well-preserved Scheduled Monument. The main shaft is now grilled and the climbing-shaft entrance gated; surface features including the coe, ore buddle and horse-gin centre stone survive on the excavated hillock.

An oval hillock some 100 feet by 70 feet containing the main shaft, a ruined coe, an ore buddle, a climbing shaft and the centre stone of a horse-gin.

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.

• Documented production figures, drawn from Inspector of Mines reports and Deputy Barmaster Samuel Sheldon's account books, run from 1 ton 10 cwt in 1876 to a peak of 9 tons 15 cwt in 1879, before falling away with several years in the early 1880s recording no ore at all. ¹
• Work continued sporadically until about 1920 under Mr Hodgson, who later, in 1964, guided the Nottingham Mines Research and Exploration Group's underground exploration of the mine, working from the climbing route he had used prior to the 1930s. ¹
• The discovery of L-shaped timber rails at the 230-foot level hints that some of the workings may date back as far as the 17th century, considerably earlier than the mine's documented 19th-century production history. ¹
• The mine's surface remains were excavated and surveyed by members of the Peak District Mines Historical Society over the first half of 1967, and the site is today a Scheduled Monument. ^1,2

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Bulletin 3-5: Snake Mine, Hoptonwood, Derbyshire — Peak District Mines Historical Society (R. Tune, L. Hurt and T.D. Ford)
2. (primary) Snake Mine nucleated lead mine, 275m SSW of Hopton Quarries, Middleton - list entry 1014592 — Historic England

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