Botallack Mine, St Just, West Cornwall
Clinging to the granite cliffs on West Cornwall's north coast at Botallack, near St Just, are these two engine houses of the Crown Mines.
The whole area of this stretch of coast has historic remains of the county's once thriving mining industry – it forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and with the South West Coast Path passing along the clifftops.
It's not easy trying to convey the scale of the landscape but when I look at this place, I'm in awe of those who not only built these structures in such precarious locations, but those who clambered down to work their shifts deep under the Atlantic Ocean.
Botallack was a submarine mine with the engine-shaft 220 fathoms (1,320 ft; 400 m) deep, driven through solid granite.
It has been reckoned that over the recorded lifetime of the mine, it produced around 14,500 tonnes of tin, 20,000 tonnes of copper, and 1,500 tonnes of arsenic.
The iconic engine houses of West Cornwall's mining heritage are a familiar site, and many, just like these at Botallack, are in the care of the National Trust.
Botallack Mine, St Just, West Cornwall
Clinging to the granite cliffs on West Cornwall's north coast at Botallack, near St Just, are these two engine houses of the Crown Mines.
The whole area of this stretch of coast has historic remains of the county's once thriving mining industry – it forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and with the South West Coast Path passing along the clifftops.
It's not easy trying to convey the scale of the landscape but when I look at this place, I'm in awe of those who not only built these structures in such precarious locations, but those who clambered down to work their shifts deep under the Atlantic Ocean.
Botallack was a submarine mine with the engine-shaft 220 fathoms (1,320 ft; 400 m) deep, driven through solid granite.
It has been reckoned that over the recorded lifetime of the mine, it produced around 14,500 tonnes of tin, 20,000 tonnes of copper, and 1,500 tonnes of arsenic.
The iconic engine houses of West Cornwall's mining heritage are a familiar site, and many, just like these at Botallack, are in the care of the National Trust.