Arn Gill (North Yorkshire)

Arn Gill is located in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, England, north of Muker and on the east side of the River Swale. It is a river-cut ravine or gully, containing a beck, also known as Arn Gill. The beck runs east–west in its gully, falling steeply downhill from its source on the fell Arn Gill Head, to its discharge point as a tributary of the River Swale. ==Former lead mining==

Lead mines in the Arn Gill area were worked between 1751 and 1921. However the Adelaide Level lead mine at Arn Gill near Muker was comparatively short-lived. This is the mine of which the remains are still visible. The Adelaide Level was named after Lady Adelaide Lamont of Knockdow, daughter of Sir George Denys, Working conditions A gill (or ravine) like Arn Gill could facilitate lead mining where the ravine was already cut into the ore vein. That meant that a horizontal tunnel, or adit level, could be dug into the side of the ravine where ore was found. Some of these levels were named horse levels, because they were big enough for a small horse and cart. In 1864 a commissioned report on the condition of the lead miners of Yorkshire was issued. Archaeological evidence The visible evidence of mine works at Arn Gill includes a lead mine lodging shop which survives as a ruined building, and an elling hearth, chopwood kiln, or Q-pit, in the form of a shallow depression and curved pile of stones below the mine shop. The Yorkshire Mine and Cave Group cleared out and rebuilt the entrance to Adelaide level in 2008–2010, but the inside of the mine is still vulnerable to collapse and flooding. The keystone now in the entrance arch is a replica. The original, engraved with the mine's name and date and discovered by the Cave Group in 1998, is in Swaledale Museum. The museum contains an exhibition related to local lead mining. Arn Gill North Yorks 10 August 2021 (37).JPG|Mine entrance with facsimile keystone Arn Gill North Yorks 10 August 2021 (1b).JPG|Original keystone, in Swaledale Museum, Reeth Arn Gill North Yorks 10 August 2021 (46).JPG|Ruined lodging shop ==Hill walking==

Arn Gill is on various hill-walking routes in Swaledale, including one detailed by Swaledale Museum. The interior of Adelaide Level is unsafe, but there are photographs of the mine's interior in the museum. ==Notes==