Alderley Edge Mines

The Alderley Edge Mines are located on the escarpment in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Archaeological evidence indicates that copper mining took place here during Roman times and the Bronze Age, and written records show that mining continued here from the 1690s up to the 1920s. The site was the location of the Alderley Edge Landscape Project and the Pot Shaft Hoard.Many of the mines are owned by the National Trust. The Derbyshire Caving Club have leased the access rights, and they continue to explore and search for areas of mining that have been closed for centuries.Location and geologyThe mines are located in a horst block at Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The area is primarily of Triassic new red sandstone of the pebble beds. The youngest beds (members) are known locally as the Nether Alderley and West Mine sandstones followed by the Wood Mine Conglomerates, Beacon Lodge Sandstones and Engine Vein Conglomerates. These latter members make up the Helsby Sandstone Formation of the Sherwood Sandstone Group.HistoryBronze AgeIn the 19th century, crudely shaped stones were found in the bottom of old workings and were thought to be Bronze Age hammer stones. A wooden shovel was found and recorded in 1878. The findings from the 1878 investigation were written up by Roeder and Graves; these added to the theory of Bronze Age working that there was a possibility of Roman mining. The picture was transformed in 1993 when a wooden shovel was rediscovered by Alan Garner. The shovel was carbon-dated to around 1780 BC. Subsequently, the Alderley Edge Landscape Project was established, and excavation around Engine Vein revealed what are believed to be Bronze Age smelting hearths dating to around 2000 BC.