tarboat's photos with the keyword: fluorspar

A walk on Bonsall Moor today found lots of lead mining remains and also a couple of old cranes formerly used in fluorspar operations in the 1940s or 1950s. Abandoned for over 70 years these cranes are still in reasonable condition where they sit alongside the opencut workings.

Hopper for raw materials arriving at Cavendish Mill. Stoney Middleton. British Fluorspar Limited is based at Cavendish Mill, Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire where are situated mineral processing facilities, drying plant, mine office and associated facilities. Two quarries are operated at Longstone Edge and Tearsall. The Milldam Underground Mine extends along the vein system under Great Hucklow and Eyam. The mill produces fluorspar, barytes, lead and aggregates.

A relic of the fluorspar extraction from mine hillocks in the Great Longstone area of Derbyshire. The spar was lowered down an inclined plane with the rope passing around this wheel with brake wheel above.

Fallgate Mill at Ashover is an ancient corn mill, dated 1781 but incorporating earlier structures, that continued in use until the 1950s, latterly used for crushing fluorspar. It is listed Grade II and has recently been converted to a house although it still incorporates the gearing and stones. John M Else was the miller in 1891. The building seen at the rear was a power station built by the Clay Cross Company in the 1920s to provide electricity to the nearby limestone quarries.

The Groverake Mine, Rookhope, Weardale, Durham, began life as a lead mine but became a major producer of fluorspar in the second half of the twentieth century. After several years of financial problems the mine finally closed in 1999, unable to compete with low Chinese prices.

The Groverake Mine, Rookhope, Weardale, Durham, began life as a lead mine but became a major producer of fluorspar in the second half of the twentieth century. After several years of financial problems the mine finally closed in 1999, unable to compete with low Chinese prices.