The sound of water gurgling in drainage ditches accompanied us along the last section of our walk, down to the hamlet of Shildon. Managing water has been a challenge on these fells since mineral deposits were first discovered. Early miners dammed water, then released a torrent to wash away surface rubble and expose lead veins, a technique with the onomatopoeic name of "hush" mining, echoing the sound of flood water sweeping down hillsides. Later, adits penetrated the fells, and shafts were sunk, but, as miners burrowed deeper, flooding in their underground labyrinth grew worse, so much so that by the beginning of the 19th century John Skottowe, a local mine owner, needed something more efficient than waterwheel-driven pumps to maintain production.
Which was why, as we neared Shildon, we could see a Cornish-style engine house and chimney looming through a gap in the trees. Completed in 1807 and housing a Boulton and Watt steam engine, Skottowe's investment introduced West Country tin mining best practice into this Northumbrian valley. It should have solved his flooding problems, especially since he had ample fuel from his Durham coal mines, but by the middle of the century water-driven pumps had been reinstated; steam had been defeated by the struggle to haul coal into this remote valley along narrow roads that were often impassable in winter.
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