Visitors to the Peak District marvel at the splendour of Chatsworth House and the elegance of the Crescents at Buxton — but how many will know that the fourth Duke of Devonshire financed these wonders with the revenue from a single copper mine? Steve Brown reports.
VISITORS to the beautiful – and tranquil – upper Manifold Valley today would scarcely believe that the green and verdant hillsides of Ecton were once the scene of industrial activity on a huge scale, both above and below ground. The discerning might notice pock marks and shafts on the hillsides or spoil heaps hidden in the woodlands but all is peaceful now. Yet this was the site of the Peak District`s only copper mine and an industrial enterprise of great local and national significance…