Wetshaw Mine

Overview

A cluster of lead workings at Wetshaw on Reeth High Moor, Arkengarthdale, including Wetshaw Level, Wetshaw High Whim and the Black Whim shaft, whose surviving tramway remains have been the subject of dedicated archaeological survey.

History

Wetshaw Mine forms part of a cluster of lead workings at Wetshaw on Reeth High Moor, within Arkengarthdale -- a valley whose hillsides are scarred throughout with the remnants of lead mining and former hushes, worked extensively from the 18th century once gunpowder came into common use for driving deep-level tunnels. The Wetshaw workings include Wetshaw Level, Wetshaw High Whim and the Black Whim mineshaft. Members of the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group have specifically investigated the appearance, on satellite and aerial imagery, of three potential tramways or trackways converging on the Black Whim shaft, seeking to establish how ore was once transported across the site.

Geology

Lead veins of the Arkengarthdale field: Wetshaw Level cut several cross veins, whose throws are recorded on the BGS section.

Workings

A cluster of workings including Wetshaw Level, Wetshaw High Whim and the Black Whim mineshaft, served by tramways or trackways whose routes have been traced from satellite and aerial imagery. The BGS plan of Wetshaw Level shows it crossing several cross veins, with a high whim, Hill Top Shaft and the Freestone Level mouth nearby.

Closure

Unknown.

What remains

Trackways converging on the Black Whim shaft are visible on satellite and aerial imagery, and have been studied by the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group.

Recorded claims

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

• The Wetshaw workings on Reeth High Moor include Wetshaw Level, Wetshaw High Whim and the Black Whim mineshaft. ¹
• Members of the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group have investigated the appearance, on satellite and aerial imagery, of three potential tramways or trackways converging on the Black Whim shaft, to establish how ore was once transported across the site. ¹
• Arkengarthdale's hillsides are scarred throughout with the remnants of lead mining and former hushes, worked extensively from the 18th century once gunpowder came into common use for driving deep-level tunnels. ²
• The British Geological Survey holds a plan and section of Wetshaw Level showing the line of the level, the cross veins it cut with the amount of their throw, and the strata, with a high whim, Hill Top Shaft and the Freestone Level mouth marked. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Lead Mines and Works — SWAAG — Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
2. (secondary) Arkengarthdale: History of Yorkshire Dales valley known for lead mining — Yorkshire Post
3. (primary) Plan and section of Wetshaw Level (BGS mine plans catalogue, item 23458, SP2246) — British Geological Survey

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 18 September 2026