Scheduled MonumentsEnglandCharterhouse lead works

Charterhouse lead works

England
List entry 1006127
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006127
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
25.84 hectares
Grid reference
ST 50618 55616, ST 50120 55401, ST 49586 55184
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Charterhouse lead works is a medieval and post-medieval industrial site located on the Mendip plateau in Somerset. The site encompasses the remains of lead and silver mining and smelting operations that exploited the rich mineral deposits of the area, with evidence of activity dating from at least the medieval period through to early modern times. The landscape retains physical features including collapsed mine shafts, leats for water management, and scattered slag heaps that attest to the intensity of extraction and processing activities. Charterhouse represents an important example of the Mendips' role as a significant centre of non-ferrous metal production in medieval and early modern England.

Charterhouse lead works is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006127. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Charterhouse lead works?

Charterhouse lead works is a medieval and post-medieval industrial site located on the Mendip plateau in Somerset. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006127.

Who is responsible for protecting Charterhouse lead works?

Charterhouse lead works is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006127.

What other scheduled monuments are near Charterhouse lead works?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Duck decoy east of Barrow Wood Lane (7.2 km), Bracelet Cave (7.4 km), Badger Hole, Wookey (8.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Charterhouse lead works

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Charterhouse lead works's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Charterhouse lead works

Charterhouse lead works stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.