High Skears Lead Mine
High Skears Lead Mine sits just outside Middleton in Teesdale, hidden along the wooded banks of Hudshope Beck. Opened in 1821, it was one of the closest working lead mines to the town and played a steady role in Teesdale’s mining economy throughout the 19th century. Unlike many remote upland mines, High Skears was closely tied to everyday life in Middleton, shaping how people worked, walked and lived in the dale.
Worked by the London Lead Company, the mine was never the largest in Teesdale, but contemporary records show it produced enough ore to fully repay the investment made in its development. Its importance lay not in dramatic output, but in reliability, accessibility and its place within a carefully managed mining landscape.
How to get there
High Skears Lead Mine lies around one mile from Middleton-in-Teesdale and was traditionally reached on foot. Historic accounts describe a maintained riverside path leaving the town at the bridge crossing Hudshope Beck at its upper end. From here, miners and visitors followed the beck upstream, walking through wooded banks and level ground divided into small gardens cultivated by miners in their spare time.
The route passed clear signs of mining life, including old levels set into the valley sides, cottages close to the water, and later public baths and wash houses provided nearby. After crossing a wooden bridge, the path reached the Skears mining workshops, set beneath a steep limestone cliff where the valley narrows into a dramatic gorge.
Today, the area can still be explored on foot using public paths. Visitors should take care around uneven ground and respect all remaining mine features.
About the Mine
High Skears Lead Mine was commenced in 1821 and quickly became one of the most accessible mines worked by the London Lead Company in Teesdale. Its proximity to Middleton meant miners could live in the town and walk to work, rather than lodging in isolated upland settlements. This close relationship between mine and town made High Skears unusual within the wider Teesdale mining landscape.
Although described in 19th-century records as less productive than larger mines such as Lodgesyke, High Skears consistently yielded large quantities of ore and was regarded as a financial success. Contemporary accounts state that the mine fully repaid the capital expended, confirming its value to the Company over many decades.
The mine formed part of a broader, carefully organised system that extended beyond extraction alone. Nearby were workshops, maintained paths, miners’ gardens and welfare facilities, including public wash houses and baths that were noted at the time for being clean, spacious and deliberately affordable. These features reflected a wider approach in which industry, community welfare and landscape were closely linked.
High Skears remained an active and well-known mine into the late 19th century, frequently mentioned alongside Coldberry and other neighbouring workings. By the 1880s, the area around the mine had also become a recognised visitor route, often described in newspapers as part of the scenic attractions of Upper Teesdale alongside High Force and Cauldron Snout.
Today, the remains of High Skears offer a rare glimpse into a period when lead mining was woven directly into daily life, shaping not only the physical landscape, but the routines, movements and shared spaces of the people who lived and worked in Teesdale.
Stone Structures and Working Buildings
These surviving stone walls mark the remains of working buildings linked to High Skears Lead Mine. Built from local limestone, they once housed essential mine activity such as storage, maintenance, and daily operations. Their solid construction reflects the practical, long-term nature of mining at High Skears rather than temporary or speculative workings.
Foundations and Ground-Level Remains
Low walls, stone platforms, and disturbed ground reveal the former layout of the mine site. These remains help show how space was organised for work, movement, and access, with buildings arranged around paths and working areas rather than a single central structure. It offers a clear sense of how the mine functioned as a working place, not just an isolated shaft.
High Skears in the Landscape
Seen through mist and open ground, the remains of High Skears sit quietly within the wider Teesdale landscape. The scattered ruins, set beneath surrounding hills, reflect how closely mining here was woven into the land rather than dominating it. This setting echoes historical accounts describing the mine as part of a cared-for and working valley rather than a remote industrial site.
What Life Was Like for the Miners at High Skears
Life at High Skears was shaped by routine rather than isolation. Unlike many upland lead mines, miners working here were able to live in Middleton-in-Teesdale and walk to work each day along the path beside Hudshope Beck. This daily movement between town and mine meant that work, home life, and community remained closely connected.
The mine buildings provided shelter for tools, materials, and day-to-day operations rather than permanent living quarters. Fires were used for warmth, drying clothes, and preparing simple food during long shifts, especially in colder months. Work underground was physically demanding and often carried out in damp, narrow levels by candle or lamp light, following the lead veins through limestone rock.
Pay depended on output rather than time, and the work required skill, endurance, and cooperation. Although conditions were tough, High Skears was part of a mining system that placed unusual emphasis on welfare, with maintained paths, organised working areas, and later public facilities nearby. These details reflect a working life that, while hard, was woven into everyday life in the dale rather than separated from it.
Can You Visit High Skears Lead Mine Today?
High Skears Lead Mine can still be visited on foot and lies close to Middleton-in-Teesdale. Public paths follow Hudshope Beck towards the former mine site, echoing the historic route once used by miners walking to work. The remains are visible in open ground and include stone walls, foundations, and spoil from earlier workings.
There is no formal management or signage at the site. All structures and mine entrances should be viewed from the outside only. Uneven ground, hidden drops, and unstable masonry are part of the landscape, so care and respect are essential when exploring the area.
A Quiet Place with a Strong Story
High Skears Lead Mine stands out not for its scale, but for how closely it was tied to everyday life in Teesdale. This was a working place shaped by routine, movement, and community, where industry followed the rhythm of the town rather than existing apart from it.
Today, the remaining stonework, scattered ruins, and peaceful setting beneath the surrounding hills offer a strong contrast to the busy working valley described in historic accounts. High Skears reminds us that Teesdale’s mining history was built as much on steady effort and lived experience as on production figures, leaving behind places that still quietly hold their stories.
Spoil Heaps and Waste Stone
These low mounds of broken stone are spoil heaps, created as miners removed waste rock while following lead veins underground. Every load brought to the surface was sorted, with unwanted material tipped nearby. Over time, these piles reshaped the ground around High Skears, leaving clear evidence of sustained, long-term working rather than brief trial mining.
Working Buildings and External Walls
The surviving outer walls show the solid, practical construction used at High Skears. Built to withstand harsh weather and constant use, these structures housed tools, materials, and daily operations linked to the mine. Their size and layout reflect a functional site designed for work rather than comfort or display.
Stone Foundations and Site Layout
Ground-level walls and stone-lined edges reveal how the mine site was organised. These foundations mark former working areas, access points, and boundaries between different tasks. Together, they help reconstruct the working layout of High Skears, showing how space was carefully arranged around efficiency and movement.
Work, Wages and the Teesdale Miners’ Strike
Life at High Skears was shaped not only by physical labour, but by economic uncertainty. During the mid to late nineteenth century, the price of lead fluctuated sharply, at times falling as low as £11 to £13 per ton. When prices dropped, the impact was felt immediately by the men underground.
Newspaper reports from the period describe growing tension between the London Lead Company and its Teesdale workforce, particularly over how much a miner should be allowed to earn. While some men were capable of earning over 20 shillings a week, proposals to limit wages caused widespread dissatisfaction. In 1872, this culminated in a major strike involving miners from across Teesdale, including those working at High Skears.
Meetings were held in Middleton-in-Teesdale, where miners argued not just for better pay, but for fairness, regular payment, and the right for all men to return to work together rather than selectively. The strike highlighted how closely employment, family life, and community were linked in the dale. A decision made underground or in a company office could determine whether a household remained secure or was forced to look elsewhere for work.
Although agreements were eventually negotiated, the dispute revealed the fragile balance between steady employment and financial pressure. For miners at High Skears, work was never guaranteed. It depended on the price of lead, the availability of boys for ore washing, and whether the company judged conditions favourable enough to keep the mine operating.