Continuing with the success of the 2006 Summer School, the North Pennines Heritage Trust expanded on the same project in 2007, concentrating on Smallcleugh Mine Shop in Nenthead, the Thompson Level Mine Entrance and the Jacobean service range of Dilston Castle. The goals of this project can be summarised as follows:

• To provide training in archaeological recording and traditional building methods.
• To conserve valuable industrial remains of national importance.
• To reach out to the wider community and create a level of understanding and appreciation of this unique landscape.

The 11 week programme of archaeological recording, building conservation and an active outreach programme over the summer of 2007, met those goals.

The Sites:

The Smelt Mill and Spine Wall, Nenthead, Cumbria
Colonel George Liddell built the first smelt mill at Nenthead in 1737; when it was finished, the mill had four ore-hearths and four refining furnaces. The smelt mill itself was continuously improved by the London Lead Company and in 1821 it had four roasting furnaces, two refining furnaces, one reducing furnace, four ore-hearths and a slag-hearth.  In 1843 Joseph Stagg built a condenser into the line of the long flue taking waste gases from the smelt mill; the waste gases were forced through a number of water filled chambers containing brushwood by powerful bellows driven by a large waterwheel, causing the lead oxide to precipitate out of the gases into the water.
The smelt mill was closed down in 1902 as the lead smelting process was replaced with zinc smelting across the site and could not be carried out in the same furnace.
The smeltmill fell into a slow decline following the First World War, with most of the buildings functioning as workshops.  Following the Second World War this decline accelerated with large portions of the site ruinous by the mid 1960s. The site was systematically robbed over the next decade until it was declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1982, for its importance as a site of industrial innovation and national significance. From this point on the site has been subject to steady conservation work and research, which led to the opening of the visitor centre in 1992. In 2007 the Trust will be starting works to stabilise the wall and flu remains to the south-east of the spine wall, along with archaeological excavations of the spine wall.
The 2007 Field School excavated the remains of the spine wall of the Smelt Mill, allowing for re-consolidation for greater structural stability.

Middlecleugh Mine shop
In 2007 the Fieldschool conducted excavations and recorded the remains of the Middlecleugh Mine Shop. This building was recorded by P Jackson  in 1967, at which point it was still a roofed structure. It is a single storey building, 4m square and aligned approximately north-south. It is constructed of roughly coursed stone rubble with quoins at all four corners. It is now unroofed, although a small section of roof structure survives over the east wall. There is a small hearth and flue built into the west wall. The structure is dated to the early 19th century and is a classic example of a small mine shop. The west wall has now partially collapsed and several substantial cracks have appeared in the east wall. 

Dilston Castle, Northumberland
Dilston Castle, near Hexham in Northumberland, and its associated group of historic buildings have a history stretching back about 800 years. The romantic and melancholy story of the 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, who was executed in 1716 for his part in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, still dominates the public perception of the site. There is a growing concern about the need for the conservation of the buildings and of the dramatic landscape setting of parklands, escarpment woodland and riverbanks.
The quality of the historic and natural assets of the site is demonstrated by the numerous statutory designations. Both the Castle and the Chapel were included in English Heritage's register of Buildings at Risk and much work is required to ensure the survival of these buildings for future generations.
During the summer of 2007, the Field School started work recording the initial arch of the Jacobean service range of Dilston Castle, as well as defining in plan the remains of any related buildings. The work is the first step in an ambitious conservation project aimed at opening these structures to public viewing and interpretation and safeguarding their long-term survival: a project which will continue with Heritage Lottery Funding in the 2008 Field School.