Grassington Moor Lead Mines, North Yorkshire: A Rapid Assessment of the Threats Posed by Road Management and Erosion
Author(s): Stewart Ainsworth, Andrew Burn
In 2008, a rapid assessment was undertaken of the historic lead-mining landscape on Grassington Moor in North Yorkshire (Scheduled Ancient Monument 31331). The mining remains, which cover an area of c. 2.5 sq km, reflect lead-mining and processing activities from at least the 17th century through to a peak in the mid 19th century, with widespread secondary re-working of spoil mounds, mainly for barytes and fluorspar, in the mid 20th century. The remains include extensive areas of shafts, built structures including mills, dressing floors and processing areas, waste mounds of varying size, water-management features and a network of roads. The assessment was prompted by concerns raised by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority relating to threats posed by unauthorised works undertaken on some of the roads, including the use of some spoil heaps to obtain resurfacing material. The assessment therefore focussed on the main road corridors through the Scheduled area, quantifying the impact of these works on the archaeological remains. In addition, analysis was undertaken of broader, landscape-scale threats, especially relating to fluvial dynamics, which also affect the complex and have in large part created the perceived need for the localised works on the roads. The assessment offered an opportunity to feed into a developing corpus of complementary research into upland lead-mining landscapes, which entails identification and measurement of threat, and the development of appropriate methodologies for recording and analysing the relationship between industrial landscapes and land management.
- Report Number:
- 41/2009
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 174
- Keywords:
- Methological Research Modern Post Medieval Analytical Landscape Survey
