South Crofty
New Cooks Kitchen Shaft
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pool |
| County | Cornwall |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°13′22″N 5°16′29″W / 50.2227°N 5.2746°WCoordinates: 50°13′22″N 5°16′29″W / 50.2227°N 5.2746°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Tin, copper |
| History | |
| Opened | 16th century |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Western United Mines Ltd |
South Crofty is a tin and copper mine located in the village of Pool, Cornwall, United Kingdom. An ancient mine, it has seen production for over 400 years, and extends almost two and a half miles across and 3,000 feet (910 m) down and has mined over 40 lodes. Evidence of mining activity in South Crofty has been dated back to 1592, with full-scale mining beginning in the mid-17th century. The mine went into serious decline after 1985 and eventually closed in 1998. After several proposed developments for the site, its future is currently uncertain.
South Crofty Mine, at Pool between Camborne and Redruth, is an ancient tin mine. For several centuries its shallow workings exploited copper rather than the deeper tin mineralisation. References implying mining, rather than streaming, occur in the area as early as 1592, and clearly by the mid-17th century mining was well established. During this period part of the mine which today is known as South Crofty was then called Penhellick Vean. The first really significant developments came in 1710 when Francis Bassett obtained a lease of Penhellick Vean and a drainage adit was begun. Over the next twenty years these shallow workings (less than 40 metres or 130 feet deep) produced copper of great value and made the fortune of the Bassett family. Following the opening of the numerous copper mines on Anglesey, which occurred in the 1770-1780 period, most of the mines around South Crofty closed down.
By 1822, copper ore was being raised at a new mine in the area, East Wheal Crofty, which by 1833 included Penhellick Vean. Mining depths were now 80 metres (260 ft) or more, and throughout the 1830s a substantial investment was undertaken to improve the mine including a rail link; so much that by 1842 East Wheal Crofty was regarded as a 'model' mine. This state of affairs did not last however, and by 1863 part of the property was for sale. The remainder of the mine, now at least 210 metres (690 ft) deep, was renamed South Wheal Crofty which, with the deletion of 'Wheal', has been the name ever since.
The mine now faced one of its most far-reaching changes. In the 1860s, South Wheal Crofty was still almost entirely a copper mine but by 1873, after a substantial investment in new dressing machinery, the mine was - financially at least - dependent upon tin. Copper remained significant until 1880, when shallow reserves were exhausted. The mine was now operating at the 260-fathom (1,560 ft; 480 m) level, where only tin was found. The collapse of the tin price affected South Wheal Crofty both directly (loss of revenue) and indirectly, via increased pumping costs as neighbouring mines closed down. In February 1896 mining was suspended and the mine flooded.
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Wikipedia