Red Scar lead mine and ore works

Description

Red Scar lead mine and ore works MYD1816 (c) YDNPA, 2023

This remote mine complex was built in the middle of the nineteenth century and illustrates well how heartbreaking leadmining could be.

The Directors of Grimwith Mining Company clearly felt that they were on to a sure thing when they signed the 21 year lease on the site in 1862. Red Scar was located next to rich veins of lead ore already being worked on Grassington Moor and Greenhow and there were lucrative mines nearby at Appletreewick and Hebden Gill. The company assured potential shareholders that there would be a fine return on their investment, writing that, “none of the disappointment, which often arises in similar undertakings…can be experienced by this Company”. It was not to be. Flooding and poor quality veins meant they eventually ran out of money and the mine was closed in 1877.

The initial confidence of the company was reflected in the fine quality of the buildings on the site and it is possible that the Directors intended the mine to be a showcase and advert for further enterprises across the dale. The remains of the office building and lodge house are particularly notable. It was built around 1867 and still dominates the site. Lead miners usually lived with their families in nearby settlements, but Red Scar is remote so the company provided some basic accommodation for them on site. The first floor oriel window overlooking the site was part of the offices and the building also included a store-room.