
Virtual Surface Tour
(click on a thumbnail for larger picture)
Below the western side
of the Stiperstones ridge lies the small hamlet of Tankerville with a pottery
and a few houses. As traffic passes through, drivers can suddenly see a tall
chimney and building which look completely out of place in a rural scene. In a
way it is!
These are the remains of Tankerville Lead Mine, which was once
very rich but now is a shadow of its industrial past. The hamlet owes its
existence to the mine since the area was previously agricultural and the influx
of miners created a need for houses. Watsons Shaft was the deepest in the
The mine is a Scheduled Monument and was donated to the Trust in
December 1996. At that time the buildings were derelict and Watsons Shaft was
in a very dangerous condition, since it had collapsed at the top and was in
danger of undermining the engine house. Thanks to funding from English
Heritage,
The site is owned by the
There is a steep path leading down to the site from the road which
leads past the reservoir.
This leads to an open area which was once the dressing
floors. Here there is a small metal
headgear over Watsons Engine Shaft which, at 1,690ft, was the deepest shaft in
the orefield. It is now flooded for
most of its depth however and is blocked a short distance down. In 1995, the shaft walls at the top were
reinforced with concrete rings and a cap fitted.
The obvious large building is the Watson’s Engine House,
which housed a 40” pumping engine for the mine. Next to this is an octagonal chimney which served the boiler
house.
Adjacent to the engine house are a set of ore bins.
The only other buildings of note are the count house (now used as
a dwelling), cottages (now used as workshops) and the magazine.
Ovenpipe Shaft is located in the middle of a farmyard next to Tankerville
Lodge and is completely filled. Nearby are the remains of the small engine
house and associated chimney that contained the original pumping and winding
engine.
On the uphill side of the road, underneath the workshop, was
Lewis' Shaft, now filled. What appears to be an open arched level behind the
pottery is actually a potato store. A short open level on the hillside opposite
to the pottery has a tight inclined drop of unknown depth. There was also a
shaft and level to the left of the cottage, both of which have been filled.
New Shaft is open with trees growing out of the top. A concrete
engine base is adjacent, possibly for a winding engine. It was descended in
1993 to a blockage at 200ft. The path to it leads across the dam of the mine
reservoir.
On the hillside to the north-east, above Burgam Mine, there is the
concrete base of one of the aerial ropeway piers. Further up are the
foundations of the transfer station.
Last updated 8th October 2005