Coniston copper mines
54°22′39″N 3°05′43″W / 54.377551°N 3.095199°W
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Coniston_Copper_mine_youth_hostel_2016_2.jpg/220px-Coniston_Copper_mine_youth_hostel_2016_2.jpg)
The Coniston copper mines were a
Mining for copper in the valley dates back to the 16th century and the area continued to be mined until the 1950s. In 1982 the buildings in the valley were purchased by The Coppermines Lakes Cottages founder Philip Johnston who set about a comprehensive scheme of rebuilding, restoration and conservation. The buildings were sympathetically restored from the original Victorian sawmill. In 1974, the area of Coniston and the Furness Fells was transferred for administrative purposes to the area of Cumbria County Council.
History
Industrial mining of copper at Coniston is said to have started when
In 1756, Charles Roe, a Derbyshire industrialist, started his early copper mining investments at Coniston.[2] In the nineteenth century water power was used and the mines were then extensively developed by John Taylor. The mines reached depths of 270 feet (82 m).[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Dismantled_Railway_Line%2C_Near_Torver_-_geograph.org.uk_-_433510.jpg/220px-Dismantled_Railway_Line%2C_Near_Torver_-_geograph.org.uk_-_433510.jpg)
In 1830, the "Manager's house" was built. The building was used by the clerk and the manager when he visited. The rooms inside housed storage, a bedroom, a kitchen and an office/boardroom.[4] From 1849 to 1857 the mines employed Alexander Craig Gibson as their surgeon. Gibson was noted for his books on local folklore.[5]
In 1859 the Coniston Railway was opened, which was put between Broughton and Coniston to transport the copper ore. The line was extended in 1860 to the Copper Mine Railway Station.
The 1870s saw the most successful period under the leadership of
Copper mining, which had fostered the growth of Coniston, stopped in 1914.
Youth hostel
In 1928 the mine manager's building was first used as a
The hostel is in "Coppermine Valley" above the town on Coniston. In 2016 the National Lottery gave a large grant to develop the history of the copper mines in Coniston.[1]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b "Get involved in Coniston's £455,000 mine history project". www.nwemail.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, retrieved 27 December 2016 ((subscription or UK public library membershiprequired))
- ^ "Coniston Copper Mines - Mine Explorer Society". www.mineexplorer.org.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ a b History given on displays inside the youth hostel in 2016
- ^ Albert Nicholson, ‘Gibson, Alexander Craig (1813–1874)’, rev. Angus J. L. Winchester, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 27 Dec 2016
- ^ Coniston copper mines, gooseygoo, Retrieved 27 December 2016