Flues from the Lead Smelter © Copyright Rick Crowley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Flues from the Lead Smelter
© Copyright Rick Crowley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Use the small car park at ST505556 and walk north-east until the track splits. Follow the left-hand branch for 330 metres into the valley until the labyrinth flue of this smelting works are seen.

Because of the limited space available, this flue was built in a series of loops, with no space between them, to give a total length of nearly 500 metres before the fumes entered a chimney.

This mill was worked by the Mendip Mining Company between 1856 and 1878, when smelted ended. The company continued until 1885 by selling dressed ore to a smelter near Bristol.

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