The Silverband Mine Brake House and Aerial Ropeway present an unusually well preserved example of mining history set within a rugged Cumbrian landscape. Natural England Moor House National Nature Reserve commissioned Stantec UK in March 2022 to undertake an assessment of these industrial features prior to proposed conservation of the site as part of a Conservation Management Plan. The digital archive from this project was released on the ADS website in February 2023.
The Silverband Mine Brake House and its associated Aerial Ropeway were built in 1939 as part of the lead and barytes mining operations, which operated intermittently from the 17th century. These monuments were used to transport ore from the mine down the steep fellside to the processing works approximately 5 km away. The Ropeway was damaged by attempts to salvage and remove it when the mine closed in 1964. Since then the Brake House has also suffered the loss of its roof and partial collapse. Despite this damage the site was designated as a Scheduled Monument (NHLE 1021009) of national importance due to the rare survival of the 20th century Aerial Ropeway, which was identified as the best surviving example used in a metal-mining context in England.
The digital archive presents the complete record from a Historic England Level 2 survey that was carried out at the site. The survey identified that despite the damage to the monument there was sufficient evidence of the original form and function of these industrial features to interpret them and provide an understanding of how they had functioned. The site will be conserved in the future.
The data from this project, including pictures of the Brake House and Aerial Ropeway, can be accessed and downloaded from the digital archive Images from a Built Heritage Assessment of Silverband Mine Brake House and Aerial Ropeway, Dufton Fell, Milburn, Cumbria, March 2022 on the ADS website.
