The CRAFTSMAN of the COPPERMINES
CW artist Steve Hall has helped create something rather special for an iconic Lakeland spot…
WHEN IT COMES to the industrial heritage of the Lake District, few places have a bigger story to tell than the Coppermines Valley.
Perched in a huge natural bowl above Coniston Water, beneath lofty peaks like the Old Man of Coniston and Wetherlam, the valley was plundered for its precious seams of copper from Elizabethan times right up to 1914. The valley is scarred with remnants of the industry, from shattered spoil heaps to railway inclines and drumhouses.
Now, thanks to a £450,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, a series of stone installations and information panels can tell you the whole fascinating story of the Coniston coppermines – and CW’s multi-talented illustrator Steve Hall helped make it all happen.
Steve has magicked up our every column illustration, locator map and even the occasional issue cover over the past 17 years. But this is the first time he has created work that’s going to be stuck high on a mountainside.
“The first step was a trip up to the mines, when the local experts went through the history with me, and the project team outlined what they wanted,” explains Steve.
“It’s an extraordinary place and a huge story. I could see it was a fantastic project to be part of.”
Over the past six months, Steve has worked with a team including a local poet and a stonemason to create a series of illustrations, engravings and panels telling the Coniston story, starting with a hub display at the Coppermines YHA hostel and continuing into the upper reaches of the valley.
“The clever thing is that the installations are unobtrusive,” he adds.
“You only see them when you come right up to them. I was blown away when I went to see it all laid out. I can’t wait to see them when they’ve weathered and have moss on them!”
The ongoing project will also see old walls and buildings restored, and the creation of a replica engine house, complete with water wheel. You can find out more at bit.ly/coppermines. And to see more of Steve’s work, visit www.stevenhallart.co.uk – and check out pages 25 and 27 in this issue!
WALK HERE: Download Coniston Fells at www.lfto.com/bonusroutes for a classic walk in the valley. And for guided walks around the installations, go to www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/walking