A PIECE of Lake District mining history has been preserved thanks to a partnership between a utility company and the national park authority.
Following a water main burst two years ago, part of Coniston Coppermines suffered damage - however, the flood also revealed hitherto hidden archaeological features in the Paddy End dressing floors.
So the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) teamed up with United Utilities, which contributed £10,000 to repair the damage and preserve the archaeology for the future.
A spokesman for United Utilities said: "As the site is a scheduled monument we had to get permission from the Secretary of State to do the work."
The Paddy End ore dressing floors were where the copper ore was processed using large stamps in the mill. They were established in around 1830 when a new mill was built on the site. It closed in the 1880s.
"The remains affected by the burst came from that period," the spokesman added.
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