ABSTRACT
Alderley Edge is a prominent escarpment of Triassic sandstone containing locally intensive deposits of copper disseminated in the host rock. The area has been worked since the late 17th century for copper and, to a lesser extent, lead and cobalt but the occurrence of stone hammers at some of the mines suggests the possibility of earlier, perhaps prehistoric, exploitation. There is no documentary or archaeological evidence for medieval or Roman mining. Alderley Edge earned its reputation as a 'prehistoric' mining site from a spate of antiquarian activity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are remains of post-medieval mining in many parts of Alderley Edge and a number of the mines have been opened up and made accessible underground through the dedicated work of the Derbyshire Caving Club. Stone hammers have occasionally been found in the spoil heaps running downslope.
