Good Luck mine is located on the South side of the wooded Via Gellia valley in Middleton Wood at SK269566 just off the A5012.
Driven below the Lower Matlock Lava the mine is essentially a consolidation of several early nineteenth century setts undertaken by the local entrepreneur John Alsop. This old lead mine worked the Middleton flats
The adit was commenced on the 25 October 1830 at the end of the farmers’ season, and shortly thereafter an 11-inch gauge tramway was installed. This was made of the virtually indestructible hand-rolled wrought-iron produced in those days, and remains essentially intact.
The adit was driven for ninety meters through barren limestone before the Silver Eye Vein was intercepted. After about a year, however, the Good Luck Vein of 5% granular galena in a barite gangue was struck, set above a clay wayboard that could represent altered extrusives. The Good Luck Vein never exceeded 50 centimeters in depth and usually averaged about 25. In the early 1830’s crosscuts were made from the main drive in order to exploit several scrins.
By 1840 the Good Luck Mine was essentially exhausted but later adventurers raised a little more galena, and The Mining Record Office logged 1.2 tons in the period 1872 to 1882. Some barite and fluorite brought extra profit, whilst the copper minerals azurite and malachite were detected. In the 1920’s spoil dumps were re-processed and some further galena was prepared for mining in the 1950’s.
After being worked right up till 1952 the adit became derelict and then the entrance was blown in. It was not until 1972 that it was opened again. Currently the mine is under the care of Good Luck Mine Preservation Club.