The visit to the Bakewell Show was rather a nostalgic one for both of us. Sue had spent a number of years living in Nottingham and Matt did likewise in Manchester. It was only natural that much of our spare time was spent exploring the Peak. It was therefore with excited anticipation that we arrived in Ashbourne, the gateway to the National Park. This grew immeasurably as we drove along the winding roads towards Bakewell.

This was our first visit to the Bakewell show and the immediate thing which struck us was just how busy the place was, more so than several of the shows we had visited recently. People we busily milling around carrying boxes in and out of the building, and a fair number of individuals had their heads down in the boots of various cars dotted around the car park

Speaking with Les Fox, the show's organiser, it turns out to be the 21st in a line stretching back to 1981. Although initially starting out as a venue for swapping specimens by local collectors, hence the official name of the "The Rock Exchange", it has gradually evolved to take up a far more commercial aspect. The hosts are the Peak District Lapidary and Mineral Society.

The show, as usual held at the Lady Manners School, was split between two halls with a few tables spilling out into the corridors and foyer. The smaller of the two was occupied by around 10 dealers exhibiting everything from fossils, to books and various mining paraphernalia. The second larger hall was filled with around 50 stalls selling mostly minerals, rocks and fossils. A couple of jewellery dealers also managed to sneak their way in.

We were delighted to see several familiar faces amongst the stalls including the owners of Crystal Vine and Gallway Minerals. However the really great thing about this show, somewhat to the detriment of the southern circuit, was the presence of many Northern dealers. Thus in addtion to making several new acquaintances we were also able to see a great many British minerals that rarely make their way down south. It is, after all, the north of the country that produces the greatest wealth and variety of specimens.

Unable to resist this temptation we started lively negotiations to acquire some of these. Many are for our own collection but lots will feature on this site over the forthcoming weeks. We were particularly delighted to acquire several quality specimens from the Caldbeck Fells, where collecting is now forbidden, as well as several Fluorites from the classic locations of Frazer's Hush, New Pastures, Hilton Mine and Height's Quarry. Before we knew it we had eight trays in the back of our car, consisting of around 340 prize specimens. Oh, and not forgetting a rock splitter, a new tumbling machine and a lapidary saw.

Besides our purchases the show was also a source of several discoveries for us. Thus we came across specimens from Heights Quarry, Stotsfield Burn and Groverake Mine. These Weardale fluorites were particulalry good specimens. Specimens from other parts of the world were also well represented, with a particulalry spectacular Vanadinite on offer for L800. However nothing beat a three tone Emerald from Colombia we saw at a snip of L2,600.

Sadly it was time to leave. We had had a wonderful day, meeting old friends, making new ones, and acquiring a large number of interesting and rare specimens. We would like to commend and thank the Peak District Society and Les for putting on such a magnificent show. We hope long may it continue.

The Magpie Mine

Having driven over 250 miles to get to Bakewell, we decided to make the most of our journey and visit a couple of other places of mineralogical interest in the area. So, first of all, it was to the Magpie Mine in Lathkilldale, near the village of Monyash. The reason for our visit was that we had heard the place has a fascinating and turbulent history.

Lead mining in the Peak has been going on since Roman times. However large scale mining did not get started until the 1720s, under the directions of the major landowners in the area, the Dukes of Devonshire and Rutland, whose fortunes it would eventually make.

The Magpie Mine dates from 1729 and was worked almost continuously until the 1920s. It retains some of the best preserved and evocative features of mining heritage in the area. Indeed, water still drains from the workings through a man made passage, or "sough" and flows out into the river Wye 1 3/4 miles away to the north below Great Shacklow Wood.

Once there it was easy to identify the remains of the pumphouse, the horse operated winding systems and the round "Cornish chimney". Elsewhere on the limestone plateau were other signs of lead workings in the form of " rakes" - a Derbyshire word referring to small faults in the rock where lead and other minerals occur. It is the history of the place, however, that is the most interesting aspect of the site and is why it is worth a visit.

Because of a particular quirk of nature, the best lead bearing ore is situated more than 730ft underground, which happens to be 150ft below the water level. Consequently drainage has always been a problem, and so instead of digging down, the mine began to spread sideways in efforts to find richer, drier deposits. Unfortunately, these excavations eventaully led to the Magpie excavations reaching and connecting with those of a neigbouring Red Soil Mine further down the valley.

The matter was made worse by the fact that whereas the Red Soil was being worked by local men, the Magpie was at this time being mined by labour imported from Cornwall. This combiantion of factors led to many confrontations, leading to several underground battles between rival teams of miners. Eventually matters came to a head when in 1833 three Red Soil miners were suffocated by an underground fire lit by the Magpie men. Ten Magpie miners were arrested and tried for murder - but found not guilty after a two-day trial. After that, an enforced truce prevailed until both mines closed for economic reasons in the early 20th century.

The Blue John Mine

The next stop was the famous Blue John Mine near Castleton.

Discovered almost two thousand years ago, Blue John is a rare natural variety of Fluorite, highly distinctive and prized because of its characteristic bands of coloured veins. The only known deposit in the world of this unusual mineral occurs here, in the hill to the west of Castleton, opposite a mountain known as Mam Tor; the shivering mountain.

Chemically, the mineral is Calcium Fluorite (CaF2) which has been coloured by films of oil deposited in the crystals millions of years ago, producing definite bands of different colour - blue, white, yellow and occasionally red. The principal colours however are purple and white, ocurring in undulating bands and usually separated by a third differently coloured band. It is typically found in veins about 3 inches thick or in nodules that line the walls of cavities in the surrounding carboniferous limestone.

The mineral was first discovered by the Romans who settled just three miles from the area in Brough. It is highly likely that they were searching for lead ore and struck upon an outcrop of Blue John by chance. Being keen artisans, they recognised the attractiveness of the stone and soon discovered that it could be sculpted and turned into decorative pieces. Indeed as news of the beautiful artifacts spread, enormous value was put on them. Pliny recorded that Nero himself paid 6000 sistertia (L120,000) for a particulalry fine example.

Further craftsmen have used Blue John over the years but the most famous is Robert Adam who incorporated the stone into tables and mantelpieces, many of which grace the stately homes of England and are considered priceless. Interestingly, the greatest overall popularity for the material came from France, to where huge amounts were exported. Here, the mineral was known locally as Bleu Jaune (Blue Yellow), which became absorbed as Blue John into the British language.

The visit to the mine involves a lot of vigorous exercise. The guided tour starts at the surface and descends over 300ft underground covering almost 250 steps. Most of the mine was formed naturally by water dissolving the limestone, leaving huge underground chambers. These were subsequenlty enlarged and connected by the miners in search for fresh Blue John veins. Towards the bottom the mine are some very narrow passages, culminating in two massive chambers, the final of which decends a further 100 or 200ft into darkness. The viewing platform appears to hang in mid air over the precipice. From here its only 250 steps back to the surface.

Alas, today, almost all the Blue John has been extracted, only one vein remaining. Sadly the vein is narrow and it would now be extremely difficult to find pieces of stone large enough for some of the great objects that were created from this medium in the last century. It is, however, still possible to find pieces which can be fashioned into unique articles of jewellery and tableware. Also there is a government limit restricting excavation to less than 500kg per year.

We therefore consider ourselves very fortunate to acquire over 10kgs of Blue John form the owner of the mine. After some protracted haggling of course.

So it was that our visit had come to an end and it was time to drive home. Altogether it was a great day, and we hope it gives you a flavour of the richness and variety of sites with mineralogical interest which are so abundant in the Peak District area.