The first smelt mill was built at Nenthead in 1737 by George Liddle, and this was subsequently expanded by the London Lead Company.

The Quakers built housing, a school, a reading room, public baths and a wash-house for the miners and their families.

Nenthead has accessible mines remaining, horse whims and a 260 feet (79 m) engine shaft in Rampghill.

In 2013 the Canadian mining company Minco sank 1,640 feet (500 m) deep boreholes in an effort to discover the extent of zinc deposits beneath Nenthead.

Although test drilling could go on for several years, the company believes that the village may be sited on huge deposits of the chemical element.

The black and white vertical hoops depict the seams of lead and silver ore that lie beneath the area and upon which the industry of the village was based.