The village of Bigrigg, West Cumbria, UK 
The village of Bigrigg, West Cumbria, UK
The area where we live is surrounded by old Iron Ore mines dating back some 200 years.
The junction of the St Bees-Woodend and Whitehaven-Egremont road was the scene of high mining activity.
Deep hollows in the area attest to iron ore mining as far back as medieval times, indeed, shafts occasionally open up and have to be capped.
Bigrigg's calcite deposits were considered to be of the highest quality.
By 1829, there were three different companies mining eight pits in the area. Iron ore mining continued to expand from this time. Further encouragement for mining resulted when the railway was constructed from Whitehaven to Cleator Moor in the late 1850's.
Pits often flooded due to the proximity of the River Ehen, in nearby Egremont, so the m ining companies diverted the river. By the late 1800's some mines were closing in the area while others continued to open. In 1924 a mine disaster at the Croft Pit in Bigrigg trapped ten men for 28 hours before they were rescued. By 1932 all the mines were closed.
For details of the mines in the area and the ores mined from them follow this link:
This map shows the sites:
