User:Pedigree1/sandbox

=Magpie Mine (draft)=



Magpie Mine is an abandoned lead mine near Sheldon, Derbyshire. The workings, buildings and land thereon is a Scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

History
Lead mining has been carried out in the Derbyshire Peak District since Roman times and mining in the area of Magpie Mine has been around for 250 years. The mine opened and closed several times over the years due to fluctuations in the price of lead and increasing costs of keeping water out of the mine as the workings got deeper. Magpie Mine was the last lead mine to operate in Derbyshire when it finally closed in 1954. The mine workings we see today include a Cornish winding engine house and chimney, an older chimney for an earlier engine, the agent's house and smithy and the explosives store. The main shaft is below the steel winding gear and descends for 222m (728 feet), although the bottom 47m (167 feet) are flooded. The whole area comprising the workings and buildings is now a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

The site today
The mine workings we see today include a Cornish winding engine house and chimney, an older chimney for an earlier engine, the agent's house and smithy and the explosives store. The main shaft is below the steel winding gear and descends for 222m (728 feet), although the bottom 47m (167 feet) are flooded.