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The Killhope wheel is a magnificent piece of Victorian Engineering. At 10.26m 33’-8” in diameter built in iron by the Newcastle company of W.G.Armstrong. The entire wheel is of riveted construction with the exception of the arms which are bolted to the hub. It appears the wheel was built for another mine in Allendale in 1859. At some point it was dismantled and brought to killhope and reconstructed again still using rivets. The wheel is fed from two reservoirs on the the hillside used to store water for turning the four waterwheels on the site. These reservoirs were part of a massive and complex water supply system which was extended and altered over the years in response to the needs of the industry in the area The water was collected in ditches for about 11/2 miles to the west and the most extensive system brought water around two large side valleys over a distance of 9 miles, capturing in its course water from every stream that flowed from the hillside above the water race. This water came from the southeast and so, in a sense, was taken up the valley, though obviously running steadily downhill with a fall of about 1 in 400 to keep the races free from silt. After being used at Park mill the water was reused 3 miles further down the valley to supply underground wheels at Burtree Pasture mine and then onto Westgate 5 miles further down the valley some 17 miles from the start of the system.
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