The slopes of Coniston Old Man and the fells around it were mined for copper from at least Roman times through to the late nineteenth century. At their peak in the 1850s, the Coniston mines employed several hundred men and produced some of the highest-quality copper ore in Britain. The landscape of the upper valley is still marked by the workings: spoil heaps, collapsed adits, ruined processing buildings, and the distinctive blue-green staining on the rocks from copper oxide.
The mines are accessible on foot from Coniston village along the valley track that leads towards the Old Man. The Mines Research Group maintains detailed records of the workings, and guided tours of some accessible sections are available in summer. The industrial archaeology here is as interesting as the natural scenery, and the history of the mining community — including the child labour that was common into the 1840s — gives the landscape a different kind of depth.