Mines

Had a trip to Florence Mine on my radar for a while and today was the day. An incredible collection of buildings and engineering plant around the site. This was the last working Iron Ore and Haematite mine in Europe and closed finally in 2007. There is an interesting arts centre / museum / theatre on the site.
The mines went for miles and provided ore for the steel industry and later pigments for paints, dyes and cosmetics. The colour of the puddle gives the clue. The miners in these parts were called the Red Men of Cumbria,  greatest of respect for them in difficult and dangerous work.
One for the derelict week challenge...