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.

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.

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 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

Photographs & further reading

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

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

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