Florence Mine, Egremont

Florence Mine, Egremont, Cumbria.
Florence Haematite Mine was first sunk in 1914, but was forced to close in 1968 following nationalisation. Beckermet Mines (part of the British Steel Corporation) took it over, but closed the mine in 1980. Some redundant mine workers then invested their redundancy payments in the pit and re-opened part of the underground workings as the Egremont Mining Co. making Florence Mine the last deep working iron ore mine in Europe. It finally closed in 2007 due to the cost of pumping. A group of volunteers took it over as a heritage musuem, but failed to get public funding and the enterprise ended in 2007.