Old Rookhope Ore Hearth


Old Rookhope Ore Hearth (County Durham)

Standing on a river terrace next to Rookhope Burn a number of earthworks can be seen at this site as well as the remains of some standing buildings. Traces of water channels can also be seen. The site is set in a wider landscape of lead mining, which has been worked since the medieval period. This site was probably built around 1700and abandoned in 1740,when a new site was built 1km to the east, nearer the village. The site was damaged in 1999 when three large ponds were dug across the site. This is a Scheduled Monument protected by law. (1) (2)

The earthworks of a small ore hearth smelt mill and its associated wheel pit, together with buried deposits and other earthworks of an early ore processing area. This was abandoned in 1737. (6)