MineArchiveWhitesike Mine
| Location | Garrigill, Alston Moor, Cumbria — 54.7770, -2.3820 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Lead |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | Lead had been worked on Alston Moor since medieval times, with the industry expanding massively during the 19th century; Whitesike itself is a 19th-century nucleated mine with its own ore works.–No reliable closure date has yet been located; production had peaked and was in decline by the end of the 34-year period from 1848 to 1882 for which figures survive. |
| Operators | London Lead Company |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A 19th-century lead mine on Alston Moor, worked wholly by the London Lead Company and linked by tramway to the neighbouring Bentyfield mine, together forming a core surviving example of a mid-19th-century nucleated North Pennine lead-mining complex.
History
Lead had been mined on Alston Moor since medieval times, but the industry expanded massively during the 19th century. Whitesike mine, on the west side of Garrigill Burn, was worked wholly by the London Lead Company and was linked by tramway to the neighbouring Bentyfield mine on the opposite bank, the two being worked in close association with each other and sharing common ore-processing infrastructure. Between 1848 and 1882, lead production from the combined Whitesike and Bentyfield workings reached an enormous 12,000 tons. The monument today includes the core surviving remains of both mines and their associated ore works: mine entrances, pits for a water wheel that drove the crushing mill, bouse teams used to store unprocessed ore, dressing floors where ore was processed, and massive spoil tips.
Workings
Worked in close association with Bentyfield mine across Garrigill Burn, linked by tramway, with shared ore-dressing infrastructure including a water-wheel-driven crushing mill, bouse teams and dressing floors.
What remains
Designated a Scheduled Monument together with Bentyfield mine; mine entrances, water wheel pits, bouse teams, dressing floors and spoil tips survive, though Historic England's Heritage at Risk register has tracked the site's condition over a 20-year period.
Mine entrances, a water wheel pit, bouse teams, dressing floors and extensive spoil tips, shared with the adjoining Bentyfield mine site.
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.
- Whitesike mine was worked wholly by the London Lead Company and linked by tramway to the neighbouring Bentyfield mine, the two being worked in close association with each other. 1
- Between 1848 and 1882, lead production from the combined Whitesike and Bentyfield workings reached 12,000 tons. 1
- The monument includes the core surviving remains of a pair of 19th-century nucleated lead mines with their associated ore works: mine entrances, a water wheel pit, bouse teams, dressing floors and spoil tips. 1,2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
The official Scheduled Monument listing covering both Whitesike and its paired neighbour Bentyfield, with production figures and a description of surviving features.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Whitesike and Bentyfield lead mines and ore works, Alston Moor - list entry 1015832 — Historic England
- (primary) Whitesike and Bentyfield Lead Mines, 20 Years of Heritage at Risk — Historic England
Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 30 August 2026