Stanhopeburn Mine

Overview

A Weardale mine along Crawleyside Bank worked for lead from around 1830 to 1875, then reopened in 1906 for fluorspar and worked on and off through the 20th century until Swiss Aluminium UK closed it shortly before that company's 1982 demise.

History

Stanhopeburn Mine lies along Crawleyside Bank at the eastern end of the Red Vein, which runs the length of Rookhopeburn to the west, near Stanhope in Weardale. It was worked for lead from around 1830 to 1875, first by the London Lead Company and later by the Beaumont Company, which took the lease in 1866 and drove the Shield Hurst Level westwards until it met strong mineralisation, mostly in and above the Great Limestone; the lead ore proved poor, but the drivage discovered a large body of rich fluorspar-bearing ground that held no interest for a company focused on lead. That fluorspar was what brought the mine back to life: it was reopened in 1906 by the Weardale Lead Co. specifically to work it, and saw a succession of owners through the 20th century, remaining quite active in the 1970s under Swiss Aluminium UK before that company closed it shortly before its own 1982 collapse. The mine has been idle since.

Workings

Worked the Red Vein via the Shield Hurst Level, driven westward by the Beaumont Company from 1866; later fluorspar working from 1906 onward exploited ground the original lead drivage had discovered but not valued.

Closure

Lead working ended around 1875; the mine was reopened in 1906 for fluorspar and worked intermittently until Swiss Aluminium UK closed it shortly before that company's 1982 collapse.

What remains

The site survives as derelict remains, documented by observational visits (Derelict Places, 2009) showing flues and arches from the former workings.

Derelict flues and arches from the former mine buildings.

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 Beaumont Company took the Stanhopeburn lease in 1866 and drove the Shield Hurst Level west, discovering fluorspar-bearing ground of no interest to a lead-focused operator. ¹
• Stanhopeburn was reopened in 1906 by the Weardale Lead Co. for fluorspar, remaining active under Swiss Aluminium UK in the 1970s before closing shortly before that company's 1982 collapse. ²

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Stanhopeburn Mine, Stanhope, County Durham — Buddlepit Mine Database (NMRS-sourced)
2. (secondary) Stanhopeburn Mine — Mine Explorer Society

Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026