Historic copper mine saved

The conservation of a unique Peak District mining structure has been recognised in a celebration event at historic Ecton Copper Mine. 

Completion of work to the Ecton balance cone has allowed the wider, nationally important, Ecton Copper Mine site in Staffordshire to be removed from the UK’s Heritage at Risk Register.

Partners in the project came together to cut a ribbon and thank everyone involved. Mining songs were performed by members of two choirs – West Bridgford Social Singers and Everyone Can Sing, led by musical director Simon Thompson. 

The project was achieved thanks to grants totalling £145,000 through the Defra-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. 

Archaeologists from the Peak District National Park Authority worked alongside partners, including Ecton Mine Educational Trust, Ecton Hill Field Studies Association and Historic England to guide the conservation project.

Funding allowed a multi-disciplinary feasibility study to understand the structural integrity of the Ecton balance cone, its archaeological complexity and its importance for wildlife. 

The Ecton Mine balance cone is a complex structure, both above and below ground. A scheduled monument, falling within two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ecton was once the deepest mine in England, using cutting edge 18th century technology to extract copper ore from depths of up to 300 metres below the River Manifold.

The balance cone housed a counterbalance to support some of the weight of the winding rope and reduce the load on the Boulton and Watt steam-powered winding engine which, in 1788, was only the sixth ever commissioned in the world.

Anna Badcock, cultural heritage team manager at the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “It is fantastic to see the removal of Ecton copper mines from the national Heritage at Risk Register.

“This project is a perfect example of a complex site that delivers important benefits for cultural and natural landscapes and really shows what can be achieved through working in partnership.

“It is the final piece in the jigsaw to get this site removed from the Heritage at Risk Register. Previous work – led by the National Trust and the partnership – included repair of the engine house and powder house.”

New interpretation is planned for the Geoff Cox Centre on Ecton Hill and at nearby Hulme End – at the start/finish of the Manifold track – to improve people’s understanding of the history of lead and copper mining here and elsewhere in the Peak District.

For over 20 years, the interests of the Ecton Copper Mine have been overseen through the collaborative efforts of a partnership of several organisations, with landowner support. The partnership includes the Ecton Mine Educational Trust, Ecton Hill Field Studies Association, Peak District National Park Authority, Historic England, National Trust and Natural England.