Our mission is to provide an ultimate resource for mining and industrial heritage – encompassing photos, mapping, background information and stories. The collections provided have been passionately researched by like-minded explorers through site visits, local archives, books and online resources. Credits to all sources have been provided where relevant. Enjoy!
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- Blue Hills Mine
The following historic images are courtesy Kresen Kernow archive, published by J C Burrow circa 1890. - Wheal Virgin
Duchy Records state that in 1799 the Wheal Virgin mine was “raising tin fast,” and was owned by a company called Gill and Co, its agent was Captain Henry Banter. In 1836 a licence was granted to three men from - Ale & Cakes, United Mines, Gwennap
Amalgamated alongside Wheal Cupboard and Poldory into United Mines around 1780. A great many of the mine pumps and engines of the area were installed by Richard Michell. - Wheal Ellen
The only engine house in Cornwall to have a castellated stack! Wheal Ellen was in operation in the 1850’s and could have been a re-working of Carrallack and Bosavern 1852-3 and Kelynack (probably equivalent to Wheal Fatt) 1901 (1) - West Chiverton Mine
West Chiverton / Great West Chiverton mine was a rich producer of lead, silver-lead and zinc. At its peek it employed around 1,000 people. Batters’ Shaft housed an 80″ cylinder pumping engine from 1869. The house is unusual in - Wheal Betsy
Wheal Betsy mine was reputedly started in 1740, although may have started earlier than this date. The principle lode runs north-south and was developed for three quarters of a mile, yielding lead, zinc and silver. - Holmbush Mine
The oldest of the mines in the Kit Hill/Gunnislake area was at Holmbush, the massive burrows of whcih stand immediately West of the Stoke Climsland Road. The first plans of the mine are dated to 1796. 45-inch and 36-inch - Old Gunnislake Mine
Already a considerable copper producer by the end of the eighteenth century, Old Gunnislake Mine is reputed to have produced over half a million pound’s worth of ore in the 1820s (2). It appeared to change hands in the - Gunnislake Clitters
The earliest documented record of mining at Gunnislake Clitters dates to the 1820s. However, mining was probably going on long before, and within Clitters Wood there are many shafts, trial pits and trenches providing evidence of 18th century or - Hingston Down
Hingston Down was a copper mine worked from at least the 17th century. During the 1850s rich copper deposits were discovered and by 1864, 225 men women and children worked at the mine. By then the mine had reached - Dinorwig Quarry
Overlooking Snowdon mountain, Dinorwic in its heyday employed more than 3,000 men and was the second-largest opencast slate producer in the country. Although by 1930 its working employment had dropped to 2,000, it continued in production until 1969. - Ding Dong (Bedford United)
Mostly exploited for Arsenic with a little Copper exploration thereafter, Ding Dong mine was absorbed into the Bedford United sett in the 1840s and closed in 1890. It was “Reopened in 1915 and in 1942 produced 1000 tons of - Virtuous Lady
Virtuous Lady was worked from 1588 until 18071. It then reopened in the 1830s before finally closing in 1879. Rendell suggests in his book that the mine re-opened in 1816 and closed in 18732. Copper extraction was around 4000 - Devon Great Consols
Richards’ shaft (S13 on the map below) had reached a depth of 28 fathoms (51 metres) by April 1846, by 1867 it was at 224fm (410m). In 1872 Captain James Richards suggested that the shaft should be deepened to - Gawton
Situated alongside the River Tamar on the farthest edge of West Devon, Gawton was worked predominantly from 1846 as an Arsenic mine although it had begun as a copper mine solely powered by water alone. Interruptions in the water