Mining Surface Remains

Mines varied in size from the smaller tin mines employing under fifty to the large copper mines employing over a thousand.

The depth that the shafts were sunk varied, many needed to be deep and become deeper as they followed the vertical lodes down. This led to problems with drainage which only grew worse with depth. Methods had to found to alleviate this problem.

The earliest mines used water power and horsepowered pumping equipment but also depended heavily on adits. Adits were tunnels driven in at a slight slope so that water could naturally drain down them.

New technologies were continually being utilised, which led to the development of large steam pumping engines.

These steam pumping engines had to be housed in sturdy buildings, fortunately for us that is why many have survived. There were many other buildings needed for the mining industry, but these tended to be less well built and fewer have survived.

Steam engines needed large quantities of coal, which had to be brought to Cornwall. This was expensive and other means were tried and used if viable. Water wheels were sometimes used but appropriate water sources are not common in this part of Cornwall.

Mining Surface Remains

A major problem that mining in Cornwall had to overcome was the drainage of the workings. Pumping was originally carried out via horse powered or water powered technologies. Pumping engines needed to be more powerful as the mines became deeper. This power requirement drove the innovation of steam engines, which came into use in the mid nineteenth century. Many of the steam engines were designed and built in local foundries such as those in Hayle.

Unlike coal seams which tend to run horizontally, metal deposits are vertical. This meant that they had to be mined vertically, reaching great depths. This increased the problems of flooding so an engine house was needed. As each deposit required its own shaft, this led to numerous engine houses being built. The remains of many can be still be seen today in this part of Cornwall.

Unfortunately world prices plummeted and made local mining unprofitable. No mines are currently worked in Cornwall, the last mine South Crofty closed in 1998.

South Crofty Robinsons Shaft

South Crofty New Cooks Shaft

The importance of the landscape and remains of the tin mining have been recognised and currently there is a bid for the mining areas be awarded World Heritage Site status. This bid covers nine mining tracts in Cornwall, which in Penwith will include St Just and Hayle.

It is very different visiting mine remains in winter when they have a particularly atmospheric feel. Many such structures are in good repair and are kept so, by such organisations as the National Trust.