Acorn Bank Watermill (2025)
Cumbria
Coniston Copper Mines 2025
The valley is honeycombed with old copper mines. Begun around 1600, they eventually became the largest and most profitable in northern England. Some of the shafts were 1,100ft (335 metres) deep. But output steadily declined, and the death blow came when world copper prices fell in the late 19th century.
Contacts
Operator: Lake District National Park Authority
Address: South Lake District Nr Coniston Cumbria
- Website: View website
Open Days & Times
Access at all times. Visit website for more details.
The presence of copper in the Lake District was known before 1563, when the Crown used German expertise and finance to develop mines and smelt the ore. They worked in many places, but their principal mines were in the Caldbeck Fells, at Goldscope (a corruption of God’s Gift) and Coniston.
