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Past Industry

Significant wealth from the rocks has been acquired by people that lived on the limestone plateau of the Peak District.

Tideslow lead rake

Many of the fields are crossed with lines of hillocks, together with capped shafts, the remains of buildings and dressing floors, where intensive lead mining has been undertaken over recent centuries.  Sometimes at the same sites as earlier mining in Medieval and Romano-British times.

A gritstone crushing wheel and grass-covered circular crushing circle are what remain of a horse-drawn ore crusher at a lead mine near Peak Forest

The production of lime for both local agricultural use and for export to surrounding industrial areas for building and the chemical industry has become increasingly important from the 17th century onwards.

Lead mining hollows and hillocks following a small vein on Hitter Hill near Earl Sterndale

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