1920

1880

GEOLOGY

The south-west Shropshire lead mining area lies to the west of the Stiperstones ridge.

The occurrence of the lead ores is determined by the distribution of the dark well-bedded (layered) rock, Mytton Flags.

Earth movements about 400 million years ago folded the sequence of rocks here in the way shown in the simplified diagram.

Only the Mytton Flags developed a pattern of vertical joints (cracks) roughly at right angles

to the axis of the folds, into which hot mineral-richfluids were later injected.

These crystallised to give the veins of lead, zinc and barytes ores upon which the mining settlements developed.

WHAT YOU CAN SEE TODAY

1 Look up above the front door and you will see two types of stone.
The dark blue-black slabby rock is theMytton Flags.
The other is a patch ofStiperstones Quartzite, the whitecrystalline quartz rock.
The date (1839) suggests this may have been a chapel before it became a school.

PICTURES FROM THE PAST

1916

BELOW RAMSDEN SHAFT HEADGEAR