OR/15/033 History of working
| Shaw, R P. 2015. The Underground Geology of part of the Carrock Tungsten Mine, Caldbeck Fells. British Geological Survey Internal Report, OR/15/033. |
The mining of Carrock Fell has been reported elsewhere (e.g. Eastwood; 1959, Shaw; 1975, Moore; 1977, Cooper; 1990 and Tyler; 2003) and the summary here is based on these sources and mine reports dating to the final phase of mining held by Cumbria Amenities Trust Mining History Society (CATMHS).
Prior to tungsten mining small amounts of lead were mined in the 19th century and earlier from the east-west trending Brandy Gill lead vein.
The veins at Carrock are not particularly rich and have only been economic to work when the price of tungsten is high, particularly in times of war or heightened military tension.
Between 1870 and 1880 small amounts of tungsten were worked from the mine by small-scale mining methods and hand sorting but no records of production remain. Two of the veins (Emerson and Harding – see below) were worked intermittently between 1901 and 1919 within the greisen in the southern part of the mine, largely to the south of Grainsgill Beck. Between 1913 and 1919 about 14,000 tons of ore were mined, of which about 10,000 tons were processed which produced approximately 75 tons of tungsten. This represents a grade of about 0.75% WO3. During the Second World War, between 1942 and 1943, the mine was developed, particularly by the driving of what is now known as the No 1 Level, using Canadian Military Engineers on behalf of the Ministry of Supply by Non-Ferrous Minerals Development Ltd. No production resulted because when development and ore reserve assessment were completed tungsten availability had improved and there were higher priorities for the labour resources required to work the mine.
Initiated by World Wide Energy (UK) Ltd in 1971 the final phase of working, including construction of an ore processing mill, commenced at Carrock but was put on care and maintenance the following year following a drop in metal price. The mine was taken over by Carrock Fell Mining Co (a subsidiary of Amalgamated Industries Ltd) in 1976 who worked the mine until 1981 when again the mine was put on care and maintenance. In 1982 Minworth, a Peak District based mining company, acquired the mine but did not re-start production and dismantled the mill and stripped the mine of useful equipment in 1985 prior to site ‘restoration’ in 1988. This last phase of mining worked the Emerson, Waterfall, Harding and Smith Veins to the north of the mine, largely within the gabbro. Mill tailings were deposited into dammed World War One vintage workings on the Harding Vein.