Milldam Mine - Derbyshire

9 Jan

The Last Working Mine in Derbyshire

PART 1 - The trip was on and off whether it would be on all week as it was dependant on the last worker ‘Geoff’ who was responsible for installing and maintaining the generators and other electricals on site would be there to let us in, but the night before it was confirmed he'd be there in the morning to sort some stuff out but would be leaving around 12, this meant an early start to ensure we would be able to see the place in its entirety. That morning there was no cafe stop as time was critical and at 7am we were kitting up with some old Hi vis jackets, 4 gas detectors, camera equipment and self rescuers.

Another side to the shutting of this place is that they worked areas further than agreed to, on our first trip here we were shown this underground lake, a short while before here was the start of illegal operations, past this point they were mining where they were not allowed. This wasn’t just a cheeky few metres either, it was around a 10 minute drive to an area of heavy toadstone and natural rifts which were sketchy to say the least. Along the way there was one rift collapse that we got out to check out, among the rubble were bricks presumably from a topside wall. This was expected to happen, the open rifts collapsing and swallowing whatever lies above them, since this visit this whole level (either sub level 4 or 3 i forget which) is now completely under water as the pumps have been switched off.

It's not known yet to what effect leaving this place with most of its water pumps off may have for the village and neighbouring area of Great Hucklow, it will be interesting to see if they all go?or are they seeing if some may need to stay on to prevent further damage.

PART 2 - The second trip was on a sunday evening under the cover of darkness we climbed around bushes and dropped in unnoticed… or so we hoped. Navigation wasn't too hard and the plan was to head to the furthest accessible part of the mine (the naughty bits) and work our way back snapping photos along the way. The first set of pumps were running and that first bit of light that isn't yours along with the noise of equipment running always makes a nervous situation worse. I was half expecting a worker to be there tinkering away, so with lights off we slowly crept up round the corner just in case.

It was all clear and as expected the lights and noises going on were nothing out of the ordinary. I had a feeling that the water was flowing faster than last time and i remembered a conversation i had between me and a previous worker who was showing us round “When they do leave all the pumps will be going off and most of it will be gone, i'd be worried if i lived anywhere above here as well” he said. As we approached the start of a long journey ahead there it was, a sump. Where the water met the ceiling I guessed it was around a 40 minute long walk to where I wanted to get to and with sub level 3 pumps being turned off and removed it was now completely submerged, likely to never be seen again.

We decided to carry on and explore what we could. Black engine, the old workings and fans were still luckily accessible. We Managed to find a ‘safe storage transport and use of explosives’ sign which described times and safe explosive practices.

It seems that at the moment sub level 1 and 2 pumps are operating maybe to monitor the disturbance caused by switching others off, its uncertain how long things will stay this way but there is at least 1 house i know of that is being monitored for potential disturbance and work is currently being carried out with ground penetrating radar to detect any stope collapses. We headed back out up the long incline hoping to encounter an empty yard and not an unhappy security guard. Luckily the place seemed empty and we made a quick dash for the exit. Mooching down the road and round a corner to our cars it was when I opened my boot that we heard a shout in the distance, it sounded like someone yelling in an aggressive tone. Seeing as we were parked in a remote area with not much around we threw our kit in our boots and I quickly stripped down to my slightly damp thermals underneath and sped away. Unsure if this was a late to the party security or some local somewhere we got away unscathed, it was interesting to see just how quickly the water has reclaimed this place and how much is now lost for good.

History

Mining in Derbyshire has a documented history dating back to 43 AD, almost 2,000 years ago, when the Romans discovered the area was rich in galena (lead), which they called plumbum. However, by late 2023, this ancient industry met its inevitable end. Mining continued throughout the centuries, experiencing a significant boom during the 18th century. The rise of industrialization drove a high demand for lead, essential for materials such as water pipes, roofing, and ammunition. Derbyshire, with its abundant lead deposits, became one of the leading lead-producing regions in the world. By the mid-19th century, however, the lead mining industry began to decline due to several factors. The easily accessible ore had been depleted, and mining deeper underground required costly measures to counteract the water table, such as pumping water out of mines. These operational costs, coupled with economic changes and the emergence of other industries, led to the closure of many mines in the region. While the 19th century saw a sharp decline in lead mining, the demand for fluorspar began to rise. Many old lead mines in Derbyshire were reworked for this mineral, once considered a waste byproduct of lead mining. Fluorspar became the foundation for a new industry, breathing life back into mining in the region. One such example is the Old Mill Dam Mine on the Great Hucklow Edge, which was originally worked for lead until its closure in 1885. Over a century later, in 1985, Mill Dam Mine reopened under Laporte Minerals, which began reworking the old passages for fluorspar along the Hucklow Edge Vein. Operated as a drift mine with a large adit entrance on the edge of Great Hucklow, production resumed in 1991. However, due to high operating costs, mining operations ceased in 1999. Afterward, the mine remained on "care and maintenance" until 2012, when British Fluorspar took over operations. The mine was issued a production permit lasting until at least 2028. The extracted mineral ore was transported to the nearby Cavendish Mill in Stoney Middleton, the UK’s only facility for producing acid-grade fluorspar for the chemical industry. Notably, the Mill Dam Mine is situated on one of the richest mineral veins in Europe. In October 2023, British Fluorspar announced a cessation of operations, citing financial losses. The mine was once again placed on "care and maintenance," though the company expressed optimism that operations could resume in the future, should market conditions improve. In the meantime, ground-penetrating radar is being employed to monitor for any stope collapses.

Video

Adit entrance.

They had already started to remove machinery such as this Atlas Capoo drill rig. There plan is to sell off any assets they have here including equipment and scrap which makes you question there intentions of 'care and maintenance' until the markets right.

The first thing we came across was probably the coolest thing ive ever seen underground and likely ever will, a portable explosives store on wheels.

Kept inside a secure safe explosives could be transported to different areas of the mine for blasting purposes and the help push new drives... and yes that is one of those cheap plastic locks that can be booted off with ease.

We then came across a Boomer s1, a Single-boom face drilling rig for small drifts and tunnels with cross sections up to 33 m². I was surprised just how good condition these things were in, despite working underground 5 days a week over 16 hours across 2 shifts they were cleaner than my car?.

(notice the passion wagon in the back ground right hand side, sadly i forgot to take pictures of her)

Someone did explain the purpose of whats going on here but ide be lying if i said i could remember?.

One of Geoffs substations that is fixed on an old cart base and wheels, presumably its purpose being a sturdy base rather than an option to be transported.

An emergency shelter, Fit with its own oxygen supply you can open the door and using the compressor fitted within inflate a large tent refuge where you could take shelter with the comfort of multiple self rescuers inside until safe to leave.

A 3 tier mezzanine wobbly ladder way leading to sub level 2, this route can be avoided by following the main drive but proves to be a fun alternative.

From here we would make our way to 'Black engine Shaft' a sign that seems to been present everywhere in this place.
It stems from T'wod man lead workings but in more recent years it was used by the Flourspar workers as an escape shaft, refuge area and break room.

This ladder leads to the original 'Black Engine Shaft' which is now used as an emergency shaft. Above ground in a small shed building is a winch which if needed would bring people up to the surface. Ladders lead part way up the 90m shaft from the base.

The break room, out of view to the right is a shelf full of emergency survival kit including military grade thick blankets.

Out of Black Engine and moving towards some older track bearing workings.

A T'wod man level that was discovered when blasting a new drive, i had a little crawl up here to the left and saw it went on but retreated due to time.

Blasting gel used in boreholes to hold the explosives in place.

Now for a little context. If you've ever ventured out for a stroll over to 'Lady wash engine shaft' the deepest lead shaft to be sunk in Derbyshire over in Eyam at around 1092ft in depth then you would have noticed air being naturally pushed out form the shaft, if you were lucky enough to have visited when Milldams fans were on then you might have witnessed air coming up at a monumental force, enough for you to throw stones over and watch them blow up above.

There were multiple sets of fans in this place but these twin fans plonked near the 'Ladywash/Milldam' connection were responsible for the high pressure air being forced out of the shaft above.
Sadly with them now off for the foreseeable future you'll now just be able to witness what i saw last year... a small draft.

Beyond this door leads the way to the old Ladywash workings.

During the time the mine was under 'care and maintenance' previously in its transition from Laporte to BTFS the water level raised in this passage.

A bunch of core samples left behind.

Now entering older workings notice the track bed left behind, in use before the days of diesel wagons and heavy electrical machinery.

An old winch left in situ.

An old stitch drill bit left in place next to a tipping shaft, the length of the drill bit is double of what can be seen.

This sub level was driven a few years back and had its own pumps running 24/7, the cost of this endeavor was around £750,000 and it was expected to make a positive return on its investment with rich mineral ore exraction.
What happend was a loosing battle with heavy water ingress and not a single ounce of ore was extracted from here resulting in one of the worst financial decisions in Milldams history, a sign of its demise perhaps.

It was around this lake i was told about the main reason for Milldams early closure. It turns out they had mined beyond the contracted boundary and not just by a few metres or so.
beyond here was a 10 minuet drive through a level mined illegally, it extended way beyond its agreed reach and consisted of mainly loose rock and toadstone.

This was one of the huge rifts within the naughty area which extended atleast 40m above, there were collapses happening in this area regularly and recently when the mine was being stripped out it was noticed that surface bricks presumably from an old building had been swallowed up and spat out within the mine.

during our second visitI had a feeling that the water was flowing faster than last time and i remembered a conversation i had between me and a previous worker who was showing us round

‘When they do leave all the pumps will be going off and most of it will be gone, i'd be worried if i lived anywhere above here as well’ he said.

As we approached the start of a long journey ahead there it was, a sump. Where the water met the ceiling I guessed it was around a 40 minute long walk to where I wanted to get to and with sub level 3 pumps being turned off and removed it was now completely submerged, likely to never be seen again.