Scheduled Monuments›England›Coniston copper mines

Coniston copper mines

England
List entry 1003055
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003055
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
46.07 hectares
Grid reference
SD 28527 98960
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Coniston copper mines is a complex of mining workings located in the Lake District, Lancashire, representing significant medieval and early modern copper extraction activity. The mines, which operated from at least the medieval period through to the early modern era, comprise surface features including shafts, levels, and spoil heaps that survive as landscape monuments. The workings are historically important as evidence of non-ferrous metal mining in northern England and reflect the development of mining technology and organisation during their period of use. The site's physical remains contribute substantially to understanding the economic and industrial heritage of the Lake District region.

Coniston copper mines is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003055. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Coniston copper mines?

Coniston copper mines is a complex of mining workings located in the Lake District, Lancashire, representing significant medieval and early modern copper extraction activity. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003055.

Who is responsible for protecting Coniston copper mines?

Coniston copper mines 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 1003055.

What other scheduled monuments are near Coniston copper mines?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairns on Foul Scrow (1 km), Yewdale lime kiln 380m south west of Low Yewdale (2.4 km), Cairns and enclosure on The Rigg, Banishead (2.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Coniston copper mines

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Coniston copper mines'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Cairns on Foul Scrow
1 km
Yewdale lime kiln 380m south west of Low Yewdale
2.4 km
Cairns and enclosure on The Rigg, Banishead
2.8 km
Greenburn copper mines and associated ore processing works
3.1 km
Two bloomeries, 340m and 570m NNE of Hoathwaite Landing on Coniston Water
3.8 km
Roman road from Wrynose Bottom to Hardknott Ford
4.7 km
Dike, circles and cairns on Bleaberry Haws
4.8 km
Round cairn, 460m south west of Thompson Ground
5.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Coniston copper mines

Coniston copper mines stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.

Domesday entry for Broughton, Yorkshire →
All Scheduled Monuments