A Taste of the
Peak District
Peak District Ecton Copper mine, financing the buildings of Buxton …
Ecton copper mine Photographs - the mine that paid for
some of Buxton's finest buildings.
Ecton mine is situated high on a hillside overlooking the Manifold Valley. The valley is quiet now as the Manifold and Leek light railway that ran through this peaceful part of England is gone, so is the hustle and bustle associated with the Ecton mine, which was long closed before the railway arrived. The railway was converted into a walking and cycling trail, the manifold way.
The image above shows the village of Ecton, from where the mining operations were run.
When approaching the mine along the top of the ridge, you can see a number of open shafts. These have been fenced off but the fences are now a little worse for wear and care needs to be taken. At the time that this photograph was taken, you can see that there was a party exploring these workings via the further of the two shafts.
The public footpath passes through the area on the hillside where Ecton mine reached the surface. Here you can see one of the adit (drift) entrances that enabled miners to access the copper without the need for a long descent. To the left of the entrance, a couple of original tools used in Ecton mine are displayed.
One of the entrances to Ecton mine, right by the public footpath.
More Peak District, Derbyshire mining information >> or see images of Bell Pit mines in Derbyshire
Disclaimer - (probably not needed but here goes anyway!) We can accept no responsibility for your well being if you visit any of the geological or mining sites mentioned on this web site, they are included only as information. You should ensure that the necessary permissions are sought when entering private property and also take appropriate action to ensure your personal safety.
Reference book ...
Peak
District Mining and Quarrying - at last, a local history book that is
easy to read and holds your interest for more than a few minutes at a time!
Fascinating, well illustrated, non-technical and with a social angle throughout.
I bought mine via Amazon.co.uk with a decent discount off the shop price
(sorry, I don't know if they are still doing the discount).
Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 (2 1/2 inches to the mile for us oldies!) map of the White Peak or Dark Peak (10% discount off list prices through Aqua3).