Odin Mine - Castleton

This disused Lead Mine is the oldest documented mine in Derbyshire and is thought to be one of the oldest lead mines in all of England, The mine is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and has biological and geological significance within the Castleton Site of Special Scientific Interest, It also contains a Cart gate level with some of the most impressive stone work in Derbyshire to be seen.

The origins of the Mine are unclear, many Peak District guidebooks and sources say that the mine was first worked by the Romans and subsequently by the Saxons and the Danes. In the early days before explosives the rock was weakened by fire setting, this involved heating the rock overnight by leaving fires lit and then cooling the rock with waterthe next morning causing the rock to shatter.

The Romans had great need for lead especially for the plumbing systems in their dwellings which led to them mining the ore galena extensively during their time in Britain. In the early 18th century Richard Bagshawe later to become High Sheriff of Derbyshire had a considerable stake in the mine, The Bagshawe family retained their interests at the mine until the 1850s.

The mine was worked continuously throughout the 18th century with annual ore extraction varying between 100 and 800 tonnes per annum, In April 1706 a rich vein of lead was struck: 41 men and eight women were working at the site and the mine reached 500 metres into the hillside. Drainage problems in the mine meant that a proposal to build a low-level sough was put forward in 1772 but this was not completed for many years probably not until the 1840s, It was driven up from the nearby brook to the workings.

The mine produced extensive spoil and this was used by the Manchester and Sheffield Turnpike company in 1802 when constructing a new road between the two places. The spoil contained fluorspar, calcite, and barite which was extracted in later years when their value became known. There was a gap in production between 1848 and 1852 and the Bagshawe family withdrew their interests from the mine in September 1856, handing over ownership to Robert How Ashton of Losehill Hall.

Lead production at the mine stopped in 1869, although some working took place in 1908 and 1909 when considerable amounts of fluorspar and barite were excavated from the Engine Shaft.

The site of the Mine today is owned by the National Trust. It consists of a limestone gorge, the original early workings before they went underground to follow the veins of ore. It looks like a natural limestone ravine with the workings now disguised by natural vegetation. The remaining spoil heaps are a protected archaeological site and support a wide variety of plants including Birds foot Trefoil, Eyebright, Wild thyme and the Common spotted orchid.

A gritstone crushing wheel, 1.75 metres in diameter with its iron tyre and circular iron track used to crush the ore can still be seen at the site,The crusher was built in 1823 at a cost of £40.