Beldon Mine, Blanchland, Northumberland, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
Beldon Mine	Mine
Blanchland	Civil Parish
Northumberland	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

Ancient lead workings 2 miles west of Baybridge. Surface trials for fluorspar made in 1924, but no further work was done. Veinstuff abundant on the dumps.
Veins worked were:
Standalone Vein
Fellgrove Vein
Shildon Vein
Old Shildon Vein
Garden Vein
Sluice Vein
Gin 'o the Wood Vein
Andrew's Vein
The grid reference given is for a pair of stone-walled shafts.

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The Beldon lead mine and ore works is situated on two levels on the floor of the narrow Beldon Burn, 3.5 miles west-southwest of the village of Blanchland. Surface trials for fluorspar were made in 1924 although no further work was done. Vein material is abundant on the dumps. The Beldon mine worked a number of small lead veins, but the extent of the underground workings are unclear. The visible remains of the lead mine and ore works belong to two separate periods. The first ran from the 18th century, when the mine opened, until its closure by 1820. The mine was enlarged in 1805, when it is thought that a Boulton and Watt steam engine was installed. The mine along with the ore works was worked once again during the 1860s-70s. The remains of the lead mine are visible as a series of earthworks and ruined buildings and structures. Access to the mine was gained by two stone lined shafts, both of which are thought to belong to the first phase of mining; the first shaft, situated at the north west corner of the monument, is 10m square and its upper parts are visible as lengths of rubble walls partially obscured by spoil and waste material. Some 20m to the south, beyond a series of spoil heaps, lies the second shaft. This shaft is roughly circular in shape and is water filled. In addition to the two shafts there is also an adit situated immediately south east of the circular shaft. The adit is visible as two parallel rubble walls standing 2m high. The stone portal is buried beneath spreads of rubble. Immediately to the east of the latter there are further ruined structures, which it is thought may be the remains of a series of bouse teams, tall stone containers in which the mined ore was stored prior to processing. Attached to the south side of the circular shaft there are the remains of the engine house, thought to have housed a Boulton and Watt Rotary steam engine; the lower courses of this building are visible as a series of rubble walls 8m wide standing to a maximum height of 3m. There are also remains of other associated buildings on the site and the remains of the Beldon ore works are well preserved. They include evidence for a range of processing activities and retain significant archaeological deposits.

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