Going Underground: HPA’s Team Day Out to Honister Slate Mine
The HPA team recently took a trip to the heart of the Lake District, for our annual summer CPD day, where we experienced a unique day of learning and adventure.
The day began with a beautiful drive through the Lake District to reach Honister Slate Mine.
What is Honister Slate Mine?
The slate that is still, to this day, extracted from the hillside of Fleetwith Pike was forged some 450 million years ago. From the late 1600s (although slate extraction is thought to date as far back as Roman times), the mine was operational originally by barrow-men, then packhorses, then the Honister Crag Railway, until operations stopped in 1989.
The mine was reopened in 1997, both to restart slate extraction, and to turn the old workings into adventures. The mine is still family-owned, and in 2007, the first via ferrata was opened on Fleetwith Pike, following the inclines walked by Victorian miners.
A Guided Tour
Upon arrival, the team were assigned a guide, kitted out in helmets and headlamps, and taken to the mine.
Entering the side of the mountain, this unique experience gave the team the opportunity to descend into hundreds of years of history, seeing how workers used to extract materials, as well as how the mine is still operational today.
The team were shown the different types of slate and how each is extracted from the mine; plus the ways in which the slate is cut for each purpose; worktop sizes were of particular interest to the team!
Once the tour concluded, the team enjoyed lunch at The Bait Cabin Cafe, which offers beautiful views, at the top of the Honister Pass.
The day ended with an afternoon in Keswick where the team were able to discuss the fascinating day they had just enjoyed, and the wealth of knowledge they had learned.
The visit to Honister Slate Mine offered the team a profound, hands-on masterclass in the heritage and capabilities of slate. The slate mine is now the only English working slate mine and it is vital for conservation projects that it remains open. The day gave us more insight into ways of working with this incredible material, providing valuable insight into how traditional extraction techniques can inspire sustainable, modern design today.
