Spinney Level, Matlock
Spinney Level, also known as Haslowfield Level or Hopton Water Level, is an old lead mine situated in Hopton Wood beside the Via Gellia near Matlock, Derbyshire. The mine is believed to date mainly from the 18th century and formed part of the extensive lead-mining industry that operated throughout the Peak District. The term “level” refers to a horizontal tunnel, or adit, driven into the hillside. These tunnels allowed miners to reach lead-bearing veins while also providing drainage for underground workings. At Spinney Level, miners followed a mineral vein into the limestone, creating a network of passages and workings.
The mine is particularly significant because many of its original features have survived. These include sections of stone-built passage, unusual herringbone-pattern roof supports, stone stemples and remnants of wooden rails that were used to transport ore and waste through the workings. Archaeological investigations in around 1970 recorded wooden rails still in position underground. Following abandonment, the mine gradually flooded and natural mineral deposits began forming over the old workings. Water flowing through the limestone produced extensive calcite and flowstone deposits, covering parts of the walls, supports and old railway. This has created an unusual combination of historic industrial archaeology and natural cave formations.
The mine is sometimes referred to as the “Anglo-Saxon Mine”. This is a later nickname rather than an indication of its age. During exploration around 1968–70, an inscription containing the words “Anglo-Saxon” was reportedly discovered underground, leading to the name being adopted by later explorers.
A ruined mining building, known as a coe, survives near the entrance. Today Spinney Level is no longer worked for lead and is primarily of archaeological and historical interest. Its surviving structures and underground features provide valuable evidence of the methods and conditions experienced by Derbyshire lead miners during the Peak District’s historic mining era.
