The Tin Mines of Cornwall

Cornwall's ruined tin mines have been named among the world's 27 'must see places before you die'. ... more

by Terri Waters

Title

The Tin Mines of Cornwall

Artist

Terri Waters

Medium

Photograph

Description

Cornwall's ruined tin mines have been named among the world's 27 'must see places before you die'.
The ruins of the structures which once housed them cling dramaticly to the rugged rocks and wild seas of Cornwall's north coast
Around 3,000 engine houses were built in the 18th and 19th centuries but the last closed in the 1930s and the remains were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
Visitors can walk heritage trails and underground to see how the miners laboured as some of the mines have been opened to the public.
The ex-tin mining village of Botallack is situated between the town of St Just in Penwith and the village of Pendeen in the far west of Cornwall.
The village is famous for its atmospheric abandoned tin mines which include Carnyorth, Wheal Cock and Crown Mines. Copper and tin has been mined at Botallack for centuries and driven levels run out beneath the bed of the sea, resulting in the world famous submarine mines.
The Crown Mines which are situated on the imposing cliffs and are now in the ownership of the National Trust. The mines were constructed in 1815 to pump water and allow submarine mining.
The mines have two engine houses and the levels extend for around four hundred metres out under the Atlantic, the deepest shaft measures around 250 fathoms (about 150 metres) below sea level. The miners were carried up and down the shaft in a gig, a purpose-built, wheeled box, which was also used to raise ore. The engine houses were closed in 1914 as a result of the decline in the price of tin but were preserved in 1984 by the Carn Brea Mining Society with the assistance of many individuals and authorities as a lasting tribute to past generations of Cornish miners. The Crown Mines are now protected as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
The cliffs of Botallack are a haven for many maritime animals and plants. Basking sharks may occasionally be sighted, as may dolphins, grey seals, fulmars, gannets and kittiwakes. Rare lichens and rock crevice plants thrive on the cliffs. In the spring and summer months, the clifftops are carpeted in the bright colours of thrift (sea pinks) sea campion, thyme, scabious and centaury, which in turn attract many butterflies and moths. While the surrounding heathland becomes alive with the vibrant colours of heather and gorse.
The twelve year old Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, undertook an underground tour of the Crown Mine in 1862 while Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) visited the mines in 1865 with Alexandra, Princess of Wales, the present queen visited the site in 1980.

Uploaded

March 9th, 2013