Red mining

The Florence ironstone mine near Egremont continued in use until 2008. It was the last working deep iron ore mine left in Western Europe and produced ore, products for the cosmetics industry and high quality haematite for jewellery. Production ended when BNFL ended the contrract for the mine to supply water and the cost of pumping rendered the mine uneconomic. The red haematite has had a marked effect on everything it touched, including these buildings on the surface.