Wiregill Lead Mine
Wiregill Lead Mine sits high in Hudeshope Valley, surrounded by open moorland, quiet becks and the remains of one of Teesdale’s most important mining landscapes. Worked by the London Lead Company, it was a busy and productive mine with its own levels, mine shop and workforce.
Historic records refer to Wiregill by name, while the surrounding hushes and workings formed part of the wider Manorgill mining area across the Eggleshope and Hudeshope valleys. Today, the scattered buildings, adit entrances and spoil heaps offer quiet clues to a place shaped by industry, routine and hard work.
Where to park
There is a small layby on the minor road between the B6277 and Town Head in Middleton in Teesdale, just beyond Middle End Farm (postcode DL12 0SA). Parking space is limited to a handful of cars, so visiting at quieter times is recommended. Please park considerately and be mindful of nearby farmland and access routes.
The mine buildings and workings lie on open access land, but this is a working landscape. Please respect the area, leave gates as you find them, and take care around old structures and uneven ground.
About Wiregill Lead Mine
Wiregill Lead Mine was one of the most active and well known lead mines in the upper valleys above Middleton in Teesdale, forming part of the wider North Pennines mining landscape. It is regularly named in historic records and newspapers, confirming that Wiregill was recognised as a mine in its own right rather than simply a local nickname for the gill.
The mine was worked extensively during the nineteenth century, particularly under the London Lead Company, whose operations shaped much of Teesdale’s mining heritage. During its most productive years, Wiregill employed a substantial workforce, including miners working underground and washer boys processing ore at the surface. Contemporary newspaper reports describe it as a prosperous and busy mine, with enough activity to support a mine shop and regular gatherings of workers.
Work at Wiregill was organised through a series of horizontal tunnels known as levels, driven into the hillside to reach the mineral veins and to drain water from the workings. These included Wiregill Low Level, Middle Level and High Level, allowing miners to follow the same vein at different heights as it dipped through the ground. This system was typical of lead mining in Teesdale and helped keep the mine productive over a long period.
The primary target was lead ore, but the ground around Wiregill also produced associated minerals such as fluorite and quartz. These deposits influenced where levels were driven and where buildings were placed, leaving behind the scattered remains that can still be traced across the valley today. The presence of a mine shop or smithy reflects the day to day needs of the workforce, where tools could be repaired and equipment prepared close to the workings.
Wiregill also formed part of the wider Manorgill mining area, where extensive hushes were cut across the hillsides to expose veins and wash away overburden. Although Wiregill and Manorgill were closely connected underground and worked along related veins, historic maps recorded them as separate named sites, each with its own focus and infrastructure.
By the late nineteenth century, like many Teesdale mines, Wiregill began to decline as ore became harder to reach and less profitable. What remains today is a quiet landscape of ruined buildings, adit entrances and spoil heaps, offering a glimpse into a place that once supported hard work, long hours and a tightly knit mining community.
What you’ll see at Wiregill today
Scattered across the hillsides and gills are the quiet remains of Wiregill Lead Mine. Although much of the site has softened back into the landscape, careful exploration reveals adit entrances, ruined stone buildings and the broader mining terrain shaped by centuries of lead working.
Adit entrance cut into the hillside
Driven horizontally into the slope, this adit once allowed miners direct access to the underground workings while also helping to drain water from the mine. Framed today by moss, heather and ferns, it gives a clear sense of how the mine followed the natural contours of the land rather than cutting deep vertical shafts.
Stone building with wall recesses
This ruined stone structure is one of the clearest surviving surface buildings at Wiregill. The two recessed compartments built into the outer wall are typical of practical mine buildings, likely used for storing tools, lamps or equipment close to the workings. Their solid construction reflects the everyday needs of a busy working mine rather than domestic use.
The Wiregill and Manorgill landscape
Looking across the valley, the wider mining landscape becomes clear. Hushes, spoil spreads and access tracks cut through the moorland, showing how mining reshaped the land on a large scale. From here, the close relationship between Wiregill and the neighbouring Manorgill workings is easy to understand, even though they were recorded as separate sites.
Wiregill and Manorgill: why the names can be confusing
If you’ve seen this area called both Wiregill and Manorgill, you’re not imagining it, the names really do overlap, and that’s where a lot of the confusion comes from.
Historically, Wiregill Lead Mine and Manorgill Mine were recorded as separate workings on old maps and in mining records. Wiregill generally refers to the higher levels and veins running along the Wiregill side of the valley, while Manorgill covered the lower workings closer to the main gill.
Over time, the two became closely linked underground and worked as part of the same wider mining landscape. Because of that, people often use “Wiregill” as a catch-all name for the whole area today. Old Ordnance Survey maps, though, show them as distinct places, each with their own levels, hushes and buildings spread across the hillside.
Knowing this helps make sense of why the remains feel scattered and why different parts of the site don’t all seem to belong to one single mine.
Key Features of Wiregill Lead Mine
Dotted around the site are several surviving features that help bring Wiregill’s mining past to life. From stone-arched adits cut into the hillside to the remains of working buildings, these details give a sense of how the mine once operated and how people lived and worked here.
Stone-Arched Adit Entrance
This stone-arched entrance marks one of the mine levels driven into the hillside to follow the lead veins. Carefully built to support the rock above, adits like this allowed water to drain naturally while providing access for miners working underground.
Interior of a Mine Level
Looking inside one of the adits gives a sense of the conditions miners faced below ground. These narrow, damp passages were hand-cut through rock, often worked by candlelight, with water flowing along the floor to carry waste away from the working faces.
Remains of the Mine Buildings
The ruined stone buildings nearby were once part of the mine’s surface workings. Features such as fireplaces suggest spaces where miners could warm themselves, store tools, or gather between shifts, offering a rare glimpse into daily life around the mine.
When was Wiregill Lead Mine worked?
Most of what can be seen at Wiregill today dates from the nineteenth century, when lead mining in Teesdale was at its busiest. During this time, the mine formed part of a wider network of workings across the Hudeshope and Eggleshope valleys, overseen by the London Lead Company.
In 1815, the company established its headquarters at Middleton-in-Teesdale, bringing investment, organisation and a growing workforce into the surrounding hills. From the early 1800s onwards, new levels were driven into the valley sides, surface buildings were put up, and older workings were extended to follow the lead-bearing veins underground. Nearby Manorgill is known to have been worked from around 1816 until 1902, and Wiregill’s buildings and levels belong firmly to this same period.
At its height, Wiregill was a lively place. Newspaper reports from the time describe a busy mine employing miners underground and washer boys at the surface, with enough activity to support a dedicated mine shop and daily routines shaped by long hours and hard physical work. The horizontal levels cut into the hillside allowed the mine to remain productive for decades, adapting as the veins dipped and changed.
By the late nineteenth century, lead mining across Teesdale began to fade. Ore became harder to reach, costs rose, and one by one the workings fell silent. By the early 1900s, large-scale mining in the valley had effectively ended, bringing an important chapter of local industry to a close.
A place to explore and pause
Exploring places like Wiregill Lead Mine is about more than ruins and old stonework. It’s about slowing down, noticing small details, and letting the landscape tell its story. From moss-covered adits to the remains of working buildings, each feature offers a quiet glimpse into a time when these hills were shaped by hard work and daily routine.
Walking here today, it’s easy to imagine the sounds and movement that once filled the valley, even as nature continues to soften and reclaim the site. Taking time to explore thoughtfully, and with respect for the land, makes these traces of the past feel all the more special.
Outdoor Exploring Family is for everyone, whether you explore to feel excited by new places, to connect with nature, or simply to find a calmer mindset. You don’t need big plans or experience, just curiosity and a willingness to slow down. Some of the most meaningful moments outdoors come from places like this, quietly waiting to be discovered.