| Administrative History | H J Enthoven and Sons, a London-based firm, acquired the lead smelter at Darley Dale in 1941, seven years after its construction to service Mill Close lead mine. Since 1981, H J Enthoven and Sons' parent company Billiton UK Ltd has redeveloped the site to provide melting, smelting and refining facilities for recycling lead. Their works being on the site of the Mill Close lead mine. Then in 1994, the firm, together with Le Plomb Francais, was acquired by Ecobat Technologies from Billiton, then later by Royal Dutch/Shell. Ownership passed to the Texas-based Quexco inc. in 1994. Since then, H J Enthoven and Sons has become the largest producer of recycled lead in Europe, producing around 75,000 tonnes of lead products annually. Occupying about 10.5 acres, they has expanded their interests battery strip production and recycling of the polypropylene components from scrap batteries. |
| Custodial History | Donated to Derbyshire Record Office in June 1998 and January 2025. |