High Skears Mine, Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
High Skears Mine	Mine
Middleton-in-Teesdale	Civil Parish
County Durham	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

Mine on the eastern side of Hudeshope Valley accessing mineralised ground in the Great Limestone on the Walton's and Graham's veins. Worked by Backhouse & Co. from 1845 to 1862 yielding 3,890 tons of lead concentrates. Interestingly, it only yielded 10 tons during London Lead Co. operations between 1863 and 1881.

High Skears Mine is located in the Hudeshope Valley near the market town of Middleton-in-Teesdale, approximately 30 km (18½ miles) SE of the town of Alston, although there are in fact two distinct Skears mines in close proximity to each other at the location, Low Skears Mine and High Skears Mine. (Note: Low Skears Mine was also sometimes referred to as Skears Firestone Mine).

Low Skears Mine, also just Skears Mine or Skears Firestone Mine, utilised two levels; both the Low Level and High (Firestone) Level were driven to Coldberry Lead Mine (Hunts Level) and worked six minor veins en route. Skears Firestone Level was driven for 884 metres in a straight line to Coldberry Lead Mine (Hunts Level) in 1827 and it closed down in 1913.

Backhouse and Co. worked High Skears Mine on the east side of the valley of Hudeshope Beck for lead from 1845 to 1862 and the London Lead Company worked it between 1863 and 1881. High Skears Mine reached Grahams Vein, Waltons Vein and Skears Old Vein from one level.

A northern headquarters was established at Middleton-in-Teesdale by the London Lead Company and activities in the area kept this company profitable well after the general collapse of the lead industry in 1884, until July 1902 to be precise, when they agreed to dissolve. The company then quickly began divesting itself of its mines and other assets and by 1905 it was out of Teesdale.

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