A CRYSTAL clear evening shows stars trailing around a monument to mining heritage.
But sadly this image could vanish from the landscape within weeks, as the mining headgear and buildings at Groverake Mine in County Durham failed to receive Listed status and concerns for the safety of the site increased.
The mining landmark is the last remaining headgear in the North Pennines orefield following the mine’s closure in 1999.
Time is running out for community campaigners, the Friends of Groverake Mine, to come up with a formal plan to preserve the Weardale mine’s iconic headgear close to the village of Rookhope
When the mine closed it was thought to have been the last fluorspar mine operating in England and the last deep mineral mine in County Durham.
Sherburn Stone, which owns the mine, has previously said it is happy to donate the remaining structures to a preservation group, but with its lease on the land now at an end it is duty bound to leave the site and remove all modern structures.
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