Low Skears Mine, Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
Low Skears Mine	Mine
Middleton-in-Teesdale	Civil Parish
County Durham	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

Mine consisting of two levels. The map shows the location for Skears Low Level; Firestone Level had its portal near the mine shop at 54.6458333, -2.0908333. Unusually for the orefield, the Skears Veins were named for letters of the alphabet from A to H. The Low Level is notable for the fine calcite flowstone deposits which have formed in the ore passes.

People often tend to think only of Weardale when fluorite from County Durham is mentioned, but Teesdale has also produced some interesting specimens although usually not of the same quality and in nothing like the quantities of its near neighbour. Located 18½ miles (30 km) SE of Alston there were two distinct Skears mines in the Hudeshope Valley near Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Low Skears Mine, accessed via either the Low Level or High (Firestone) Level, was just called Skears Mine by the miners who worked it at the time. Both levels worked the same set of veins and were collectively known locally simply as Skears Mine to distinguish them from High Skears Mine, which was operated as a completely separate mine, although High Skears was connected internally to the Firestone Level in Low Skears Mine. Low Skears Mine, also sometimes referred to as Skears Firestone Mine, utilised two levels; both the Low Level and High (Firestone) Level were driven to Coldberry Lead Mine (Hunts Level) and worked six minor veins en route. Skears Firestone Level was driven for 884 metres in a straight line to Coldberry Lead Mine (Hunts Level) in 1827 and it closed down in 1913.

High Skears Mine, although connected internally to the Firestone Level in Low Skears Mine, worked a totally different set of veins to Low Skears Mine and it was operated as a separate mine. High Skears Mine was on the east side of the valley of Hudeshope Beck and it reached Grahams Vein, Waltons Vein and Skears Old Vein from one level. Backhouse and Co. worked High Skears Mine from 1845 to 1862 and the London Lead Company worked it from 1863 to the 1880s.

A northern headquarters was established at Middleton-in-Teesdale by the London Lead Company and activities in the area kept this company profitable well after the general collapse of the lead industry in 1884, until July 1902 to be precise, when they agreed to dissolve. The company then quickly began divesting itself of its mines and other assets and by 1905 it was out of Teesdale.

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