Shildon Engine House Awaits Near Blanchland Village Exploration

Hey, I learned about a cool place called Shildon Engine House. It sits near Blanchland, a village in the North Pennines, though not many people know about it.

This area has lots of lead ore, also called Galena. Long ago, the ore had silver, a bonus when making lead. Kings even kept silver rights from those mines. Around 1805, they built the engine house to hold a Cornish pump. The pump helped the lead mines work smoothly.

Lead mining used to be tough; they dug shallow shafts, about 10 meters deep. There was no air or way to drain water, so each pit quickly ran dry.

In 1806, Easterby Hall took over and used steam engines to drain water and power machines. However, coal to fuel them was very costly. Water-powered tech showed up around 1812, and the industry started to do well in the area.

Imported lead became cheaper later, and the engine house closed in the 1860s. It then became apartments called ‘Shildon Castle’, and you can still see signs of it being a home. It was abandoned about 100 years ago and is now kind of a ruin.

You can’t go inside the engine house, so admire it from afar. There are signs telling its story. If you visit Blanchland, check out the Lord Crewe Arms Hotel after walking around the village.