Old Gang lead smelt mill, Hard Level Gill, Swaledale. N.B. Narrative and pictures are as of the times when the pictures were originally added (mostly 1997 to 2004). In 2021, things may look different; conditions, tracks and rights of way may have changed. Click on the Home button for more explanation. How we get to the Old Gang lead smelt mill. From Feetham or Helaugh in Swaledale, we headed for Langthwaite (northwards). From either road you will eventually see Surrender Mill on your right. The two roads join near Hard Level Gill. We parked near Hard Level Gill and followed it upstream, on the right hand side of the Gill. After a walk of somewhat over a mile we were rewarded with the sight of the unmistakable Old Gang Smelt Mill ahead of us in the valley. A photgraph looking down on Hard Level Gill from the bank above taken by Barry Jones. When I, Rod, once saw some ruins near the bottom, I thought they might be the remains of Raygill Mills which I had heard of. However, I have since been told that they were more likely to have been the scant remains of Smith’s Mill. At the Old Gang site. A chimney of the later of the two mills built on the Old Gang site, is seen at right. It seems to stand proudly as it has avoided much of mill's dereliction, which however has only added to the character of this valley. Thanks to BarryJones, we have this picture, taken from such really good aspect. This remote Hard Level Gill valley, off Swaledale in The Yorkshire Dales, has a unique rugged beauty. The appearance of the valley is enhanced by the character of the ruins of the Old Gang lead smelter, probably the best known of the many lead smelters in The Yorkshire Dales. The blend of spoil from surrounding mines with natural scree adds a moonscape appearance to parts of the valley. Though in its heyday, this was a place of great activity, it is now quiet but for the calls of birds and the babble of the water in Hard Level Gill. One can imagine the roar of the furnaces in this once busy smelter, and visualise the haunting presence of the long gone workers. Here was the collecting point and processing centre for much of the raw lead ore coming out of the Old Gang Mines in this valley. Old Gang Lead Smelt Mill made lead ingots which were exported to the World. Nearby: Old Rake Vein near Hard Level Gill had been particularly good. Its surface deposits (outcrops) had been worked from early times. Earth around the vein was removed and the lead ore was recovered using hammers and picks. The works have left a long expanse of disturbed land and spoil in their wake. The surface disturbance remains clear to this day and is known as the Old Rake. Where the veins of ore surfaced on hillsides they were often exploited by hushing. At a hush, heads of water were built up in dams above the hillside. The water was released suddenly to rush down hill and remove the surface of the hillside exposing the lead veins. The lead could then be removed easily. The Wharton family. The Wharton family had worked the area including Old Rake Vein in the Seventeenth Century. By the time that Lord Pomfret and Peter Denys, his son in law, were looking to take advantage of the demand for lead, the surface deposits had been exhausted. They started many new mines near Hard Level Gill, to access lower levels of the ore deposits. In particular, the now well known, Hard Level mine was started about 1785. Why was it named "Old Gang”? What thoughts this name conjures up! The name "Old Gang" predates the building of the New Mill. Possibly "Old Gang" started out as the name of a collection (gang) of old hushes nearby. In a similar way, when miners unexpectedly broke into old workings, they would say that they had been beaten there by "the old man." Over time, the name has been transferred to describe the whole collection of mines in the area. Later when the smelter was no longer new, the name, New Mill, became a misnomer and the title "Old Gang" then seemingly became tagged to the new smelt mill as well. More Pictures: Some remains of the the earlier of two "Old Gang" smelt mills which have existed on the site. One of the ore hearth arches can be seen. These photographs compared with old photographs show that much rubble was moved to allow the now clear access to the lower parts of the walls. The 1870s were some of Old Gang's best days, it was the swan song. Regular smelting stopped in 1885. Only small orders for smelting were taken after this.At left is a picture of the place where the flue from the later mill fed into the the flue of the earlier mill. A picture of the place where the flue from the later mill fed into the the flue of the earlier mill. A picture taken near to sunset on a sunny summer day. The red hues at sunset and long shadows added special effects to the ruins. By contrast, below, a picture, taken by Barry, shows a Winter (January 2001) scene at the Old Gang peat store. If you go to Old Gang, the view from the top of the valley is magnificent, but ony go provided you can safely scale the steep right hand side (when facing upstream), east side, of the valley. Not only is the view down into the valley magnificent, but there are the haunting remains of those supports for the peat store as seen in the Winter picture above. They look like two lines of prehistoric monuments. The sides of the peat store would be open to the high winds that often occur on the "tops." The winds would have dried the peat ready for firing the smelt mill hearths. Link to the page on the Sargill Mill >>