Park Level Mine, Killhope Burn, Stanhope, County Durham, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
Park Level Mine	Level (Tourist Attraction)
Killhope Burn	River Valley
Stanhope	Civil Parish
County Durham	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

Park Level Mine, Killhope Burn, Weardale, County Durham, England, UK

Major lead producer of the Beaumont Co's property in Weardale, before passing into the hands of the Weardale Lead Co in 1883. With the mines having been active for at least 150 years before the period covered by production records, it is likely that total production for the Killhope mines would have been in the order of 60000 tons of lead concentrates, most having come from Park Level. The veins worked here geologically form part of the great vein complex of Nenthead and West Allendale and include: Whitefield's, Killhopehead, Burngrove, Siversides, Levelgrove, Tweed, Old Moss, Middlegrove, Bell's, Hazely, Himer's or Hindmarch's and several cross veins.

The remains of the dressing plant at the level mouth are now preserved as part of the Killhope Lead-mining Centre under the auspices of Durham County Council. Although the opportunity still exists for visits underground, the chances of examining any mineralization are limited. There is, however, a small museum of well displayed and high quality local specimens and the UK's largest collection of spar boxes.

From http://www.killhope.org.uk/: "Digging at what is now Park Level Mine first began in 1853, when the WB Lead Company began to dig an ‘adit’ otherwise known as the horse level.

Peter Milburn, Joseph Carrick, Joseph Emerson and Joseph Peart started cutting the tunnel and when you take your underground tour you will be able to see the initials they carved into the stone.

It was slow work, with the first 500 metres taking a year to cut. Very little ore was found in the first four veins. After 21 years a rich ore body was cut which provided work for over 100 miners.

At its peak it was one of the richest lead mines in the whole of Great Britain.

In the largely treeless landscape of the North Pennines the miners did not use wooden supports but dry stone arching to line the tunnel. As you walk through the tunnel the stonework may look recent but, in fact, it is more than 150 years old.

In the wheel chamber, you will see the 5.5 metre underground waterwheel, which was installed to pump water. This wheel is 36 metres up from the lower levels of the mine and can pump 250 litres of water per minute. The waterwheel was used to pump water out of the lower levels so that the miners could continue with their work.

Park Level Mine was reopened to the public in 1996."