Northcliffe Sough - Derbyshire
Over the years, I’ve explored numerous nearby mine systems, but I’d always heard whispers about Northcliffe being a hidden gem worth checking out.
One cold December night, I finally decided to give it a go, armed with only vague directions. It took a good 45 minutes of searching before I finally located the entrance. The task wasn’t made any easier by the fact that the lid had been cleverly camouflaged with fake grass, blending seamlessly into the overgrown field. Finding lead mine entrances can be a hassle in broad daylight—doing so in the dark is a whole different ballgame.
Just below the entrance ladder, I found myself deposited into a crawl space that led to the start of a partially flooded sough. The sough stretched on for about 10 minutes, with water reaching waist height in places, before it opened up into a relatively dry three-way junction.
The mine held a few intriguing artifacts still in situ, including a horseshoe, clay pipes, and even a teapot, all relics of its past. However, the site wasn’t without its dangers. Numerous sections of in-situ rope dangled throughout the mine, but they were reportedly not worth following—supposedly leading nowhere and appearing rather sketchy.
What really stood out, though, were the false floors. These were some of the most precarious I’ve encountered in any mine, requiring extra caution at every step.
All in all, it was a fun and memorable night exploring another one of Derbyshire hidden gems.
History
“Recorded as producing lead around 1869 which began to decline in the 1870's. Stone and gravel was recorded as being measured which continued in significant amounts throughout the next two decades even after lead production ceased around 1882-1883. This was prior to the expansion in the trade of Fluorspar as a steelmaking flux in the first decade of the 20th century which prompted the reopening of the mine. The Calver,Hassop and Rowland Barmasters book records or measurements starting in Northcliff Sough in 1908 and Red Rake from 1912. At one point in time Northcliff did connect and act as a sough for the nearby Red Rake mine”.
