La Tortilla and his other mining ventures at Linares, Spain
Thomas Sopwith snr. is famous for his overseeing of the W.B. lead mines in the North Pennines. His son Tom followed very much in his father’s footsteps but at a time when the UK mines were about to decline. He became the manager of the Spanish Lead Co., a UK company formed in 1864 to work the La Tortilla Mine to the west of Linares, Spain. The company was later refinanced as T. Sopwith and Company Ltd. The area was exploited by a series of UK companies and generated consistent profits even at times when lead prices were low. This volume traces Tom’s professional career from his visits to other European mines to his tragic and untimely death in 1898. It has a detailed history of the lead mines at La Tortilla together with their associated workings is richly illustrated with many photographs and drawings from the archives at Linares, including several of the smelting works.
Barbara Sutcliffe
The Old Manse
93 Halifax Rd.
Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 0EQ
Inglaterra
Tel/Fax 01282 614615
