Historic UK Mining Landscapes
Cornwall's Iconic Tin Mine Landmark, Wheal Coates, Southwest England
Sep 8, 2009
By the late 19th century the fortunes of Cornish tin mining had irrevocably changed: Cornwall which had dominated world tin production since medieval times saw the rapid decline of tin mining from the 1870s onwards. Mining which had a deep impact on Cornwall’s people and landscapes left behind thousands of mine shafts and several engine houses, the most iconic of which is Wheal Coates, St. Agnes, on England’s south-west coast.
Wheal Coates, a UK Mining Landscape
Aerial photographs show the marks intensive mining had left on Cornwall’s landscapes. On the ground, the buildings and structures that remain are testaments to a thriving industry that involved whole communities and gave rise to world famous inventions. Wheal Coates is a designated World Heritage Site and an important historical resource for the study of UK mining of England’s southwest.
The main historic structures that can be seen in the area are:
- Wheal Coates Towanroath Shaft Pumping Engine House; built in 1872, it housed an example of the world famous Cornish beam engine which drained the mine from the 600ft-deep shaft.
- Two stamping and winding (whim) engine houses; built in 1872-3 and 1880, they housed engines used to hoist and stamp (crush) the raised ore.
- A stack; a chimney used to carry away fumes.
- Calciner; built in 1910-1913. In the calciner, or furnace chamber, tin concentrate was cleaned from impurities, such arsenic and sulphur.
There is also evidence of Wheal Coates ancient mining history in the Towanroath Vugga, a sea cave only accessible in low tide, that has marks of old excavations. The landscape is scored with linear gushes, evidence of medieval tin workings. See the Cornish Mining website for a glossary of Cornish mining terms and other useful information.
Cornwall’s Iconic Landmarks and the Cornish Beam Engine
With the invention by Richard Treverick of the famous Cornish Beam Engine in the early 19th century, the design of Cornwall’s pumping engine houses was also established. Around 3,000 such structures were built in the country able to reach a depth of 600 ft. The Wheal Coates Towanroath engine house must be one of the most iconic landmarks of historic UK mining landscapes.
With its fine examples of mining buildings and structures, surrounded by heathland and overlooking a surfing beach on England’s Atlantic coast, Wheal Coates is not a grim workplace anymore where many miners were worked to the bone and died but has assumed a different identity: a historical resource cloaked in the romantic aura of times past.
Some 138 miners were employed at Wheal Coates in 1881 but production was sporadic and the mine was eventually unsuccessful although an attempt has been made in 1911 to revive it. Cornish tin mining was irrevocably in decline.
How the Cornish Beam Engine works is described on the BBC website. A Guide to Cornwall’s mining landscapes is provided by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. On Cornish mines and engines, the National Trust website provides useful information.
Sources
Websites of Cornish-mining and Historic-Cornwall; National Trust information on Wheal Coates site.
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