Mineral collecting in Northern England has a long and distinguished
history. The mining districts of Cumbria, Northumberland and Durham
include a remarkably large number of localities that are famous for
fine specimens. Minerals from these locations are found in most of the
world’s great collections. Although many of these specimens are
‘old-timers’, procured for the cabinets of well-to-do Victorians
in the heyday of mining, the last two decades has substantially added
to the number of discoveries and to our understanding of the mineralogy
of the area.
Foreword
Connoisseurs of mineral specimens commonly single out three mining
districts in Northern England for special praise. The iron mines of
West Cumbria have produced specimens of calcite and barite that set
the standard by which the species are judged worldwide. The Caldbeck
Fells, which form the northernmost outpost of the Lake District, are
famous for beautifully coloured lead, copper and zinc secondary minerals.
The North Pennine Orefield, which includes the mines of Alston Moor
and Weardale, is renowned for its beautiful fluorite and has produced
some of the world’s finest examples of the barium minerals witherite,
barytocalcite and alstonite.
The mines of Northern England have been famous for mineral specimens
for more than two centuries, and the last twenty years has added a substantial
number of new discoveries to an already impressive list. The geology
and economic mineralisation of the region has been studied in detail,
but its specimen mineralogy, which is of particular interest to collectors
and curators, is not well recorded. Numerous fascinating mineralogical
stories exist as brief asides in scientific papers, scribbled notes
in diaries, or simply in the memories of collectors. This article is
an attempt to review and illustrate some of the more important recent
discoveries, before the information is lost and the specimens scattered.
Minerals are fascinating on account of their beauty and rarity, but
much of their value lies in the information both historical and scientific
that accompanies them. As fine north of England mineral specimens are
becoming increasingly scarce it is becoming more and more important
to document those already extant in collections.
For the purposes of this article, Northern England is defined as the
area of Britain which stretches southward from the Scottish border to
include the counties of Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham. For those
unfamiliar with the repeated late twentieth century county boundary
changes in the British Isles, Cumbria comprises the old counties of
Cumberland and Westmorland (both of which commonly appear on old mineral
labels) and the Furness district of Lancashire. Durham has also changed
shape with the recent introduction of unitary authorities but not in
ways that are of particular mineralogical importance.
Northern England includes the Lake District and Northumberland national
parks, and many other areas of outstanding natural beauty. The cities
of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle are all within easy reach
of the classic specimen-producing areas and all have museums with fine
mineral collections. Surprisingly, the only collection of north-of-England
minerals on public display in a major city museum in the region is the
recently opened gallery at the Manchester Museum.
There are displays of mineralogical interest in a few smaller museums
or visitor centres across Northern England. In West Cumbria the heritage
centre at Florence Mine gives an insight into the region’s mining
past, underground visits are catered for, and there are usually representative
mineral specimens available for purchase. Further to the north in the
busy market town of Cockermouth, William Creighton has assembled a remarkable
private museum which displays almost a thousand local mineral specimens,
miner’s lamps, a fluorescent cabinet, and mineralogical and mining
ephemera. East along the A66, a large number of artefacts and photographs
relating to mining in the Lake District are on display at the Threlkeld
Quarry Mining Museum. The displays focus for the most part on the mines,
but there is much to interest the mineralogist, including a few fine
specimens. In the Pennine Hills, the complex and fascinating Killhope
Lead Mining Centre gives an insight into the workings of a large nineteenth-century
lead mine. The site easily justifies a full days visit, with its working
ore-processing machinery, waterwheels and underground experience. Mention
must be made of the Grand Mineralogical Exhibition held at Killhope
in September each year. This is one of the best ways to see mineral
specimens from many fine private collections in the north Pennines.
41 pages.
