Читать книгу Walking in the Yorkshire Dales: North and East. Howgills, Mallerstang, Swaledale, Wensleydale, Coverdale and Nidderdale онлайн

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Veins of lead ore occur in the limestone throughout the eastern and northern parts of the Dales, and have been mined sporadically since the arrival of the Romans. Following the Industrial Revolution, the industry peaked during the middle 18th and early 19th centuries, but then fell into decline because of high transport costs, competition from foreign imports, and the simple fact that many seams had been worked to their economic limit. Nevertheless, over the centuries huge amounts were produced, and it has been estimated that over half a million tonnes of metallic lead have been excavated from Swaledale alone, with more than half of this coming solely from the Old Gang mines above Surrender Bridge.

Where there is lead, there is often silver too, albeit it small amounts, and the Duke of Devonshire’s Cupola Mine above Grassington produced a significant amount of silver as a by-product before it closed in 1885. In the area further west, around Malham, copper and zinc ores were also discovered, and more recently deposits of baryte and fluorspar have been worked in the Dales.