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NORTH LAXEY MINE
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| Although listed as a major
mine, North Laxey was not particularly profitable having produced a
total output of only 1,763 tons of lead concentrate.
The mine is located about half a mile further north of Glen Cherry and is a distinctive feature on the landscape evident by the spoils and existence of the washing floors. Mining commenced in 1856 and was developed on two shafts working at 70 yards apart being named simply North and South. The mine was worked intermittently until it's final closure in 1897. Like Glen Cherry, the lode runs north - south and is a quartz vein swelling from two inches to five feet in width. Galena was the chief mineral but was only found in stringers hence the poor production from the removal of 50,000 tons of low grade ore. Pumping, powered by a sixty foot wheel named 'Florence', took place in both shafts which were connected by two flat rods at surface, whilst winding and the crushing of ore was by a thirty foot wheel. The North shaft reached a depth of 174 fathoms (1044 ft) and the south shaft reached 110 fathoms (660 ft) and had levels at 60 - 90 ft intervals. The North shaft is adjacent to the long track and today is flooded to surface with only the rising main protruding out of the water. The south shaft is accessible via a short adit level where the fend off mechanism for the pump rods can still be seen. |