L2025_2931-2 Trewavas Head Mine
New Engine Shaft Engine house with Old Engine Shaft engine house behind. Both are Grade II listed.
Wheal Trewavas is located on towering cliffs near Trewavas Head. The large engine houses are comparable to the Crown Engine Houses at Botallack Mine in Penwith. Unlike Botallack Wheal Trewavas is off the main tourist trail and much less well known.
Click here for more photographs of Wheal Trewavas: www.jhluxton.com/Industrial-Archaeology/Mines-of-Devon-Co...
Wheal Trewavas' history starts around 1834. The Mining Journal reported that profitable lodes were found by locals who fished in summer and mined in winter. Initial operations included a small pumping engine and a horse-powered whim to haul ore.
By 1836, the discovery of a significant copper lode resulted in an increase in employment and the acquisition of a new, larger pumping engine from Harvey & Co of Hayle. The mine shafts subsequently extended deeper and further out to sea.
Wheal Trewavas expanded in the 1840s, working four copper lodes and one tin lode beneath the seabed: Trewavas Old Lode, North Lode, Sowan Lode, and Nimble Cutter Lode. At its peak, the mine employed about 160 men underground and 40 bal-maidens above, all from the local area.
By 1842, the mine was making annual profits of £4000. It was about 70 fathoms (130 meters) deep. The conditions must have been daunting for the workers, being so far underground and under the sea.
Despite rumours of flooding and several fatal accidents, including the death of 16-year-old Henry Richards and a boiler explosion in December 1842, Wheal Trewavas did not close due to these incidents. A miner named Richard Gilbert was also accused of stealing ore, but this too was unrelated to the mine's closure.
There are numerous rumours and local legends regarding the sudden closure of Wheal Trewavas in 1846. However, it is highly unlikely that the cessation of operations was attributable to a shortage of profitable ore. Records indicate that between 1834 and 1846, the mine produced approximately 17,500 tons of copper ore, with an estimated value of over £100,000—equivalent to roughly £6 million today. Furthermore, it is believed that significant quantities of valuable metal remain unexploited within the mine.
What caused the owners to suddenly advertise the entire concern for sale in May 1846? Some suggest that, despite profits, the mine's financial affairs raised suspicion in 1845. Rumours indicated they were paying dividends with a bank overdraft. In December, before Trewavas closed, another shaft was sunk to 96 fathoms (175m), likely following another lode. However, the bankers demanded immediate repayment of £2000 from the overdraft, suggesting the owners didn't have the money; or did they...?
An oft-repeated tale tells of the mine being suddenly flooded during a shareholder dinner. Each year, a meal was set in the mine, deep beneath the sea. Recent excavations had brought them close to the sea floor, and water began leaking from the tunnel roof during final preparations. The waiters quickly retreated, and within minutes the mine was flooded, ruining the dinner.
The story does not end here. There is another reason that has been proposed for the closure of Wheal Trewavas, despite its continued production of valuable ore. It is believed that the owners might have owed money to the Duchy of Cornwall. The Royal Cornwall Gazette reported on December 9th 1859: ” . . . the celebrated Trewavas Mine which is said to have been abandoned in consequence of a dispute between the Lord and the Duchy, although it is well known that the lodes were rich at the time of stopping.”
It was suggested that the mine was deliberately flooded by Captains N and J Vivian in order to avoid paying the Duchy of Cornwall their backdated dues by concealing any evidence of the extent of the tunnels. This may also be why no plan of the mine survives either.
Captains N and J Vivian allegedly flooded the mine to hide the tunnels and avoid backdated payments to the Duchy of Cornwall, which may also explain the absence of any mine plans.
The mine equipment was advertised for sale by auction in 1846. Since then, the engine houses have stood silently on the cliffs they are now in the care of the National Trust. They are Grade II Listed.
L2025_2931-2 Trewavas Head Mine
New Engine Shaft Engine house with Old Engine Shaft engine house behind. Both are Grade II listed.
Wheal Trewavas is located on towering cliffs near Trewavas Head. The large engine houses are comparable to the Crown Engine Houses at Botallack Mine in Penwith. Unlike Botallack Wheal Trewavas is off the main tourist trail and much less well known.
Click here for more photographs of Wheal Trewavas: www.jhluxton.com/Industrial-Archaeology/Mines-of-Devon-Co...
Wheal Trewavas' history starts around 1834. The Mining Journal reported that profitable lodes were found by locals who fished in summer and mined in winter. Initial operations included a small pumping engine and a horse-powered whim to haul ore.
By 1836, the discovery of a significant copper lode resulted in an increase in employment and the acquisition of a new, larger pumping engine from Harvey & Co of Hayle. The mine shafts subsequently extended deeper and further out to sea.
Wheal Trewavas expanded in the 1840s, working four copper lodes and one tin lode beneath the seabed: Trewavas Old Lode, North Lode, Sowan Lode, and Nimble Cutter Lode. At its peak, the mine employed about 160 men underground and 40 bal-maidens above, all from the local area.
By 1842, the mine was making annual profits of £4000. It was about 70 fathoms (130 meters) deep. The conditions must have been daunting for the workers, being so far underground and under the sea.
Despite rumours of flooding and several fatal accidents, including the death of 16-year-old Henry Richards and a boiler explosion in December 1842, Wheal Trewavas did not close due to these incidents. A miner named Richard Gilbert was also accused of stealing ore, but this too was unrelated to the mine's closure.
There are numerous rumours and local legends regarding the sudden closure of Wheal Trewavas in 1846. However, it is highly unlikely that the cessation of operations was attributable to a shortage of profitable ore. Records indicate that between 1834 and 1846, the mine produced approximately 17,500 tons of copper ore, with an estimated value of over £100,000—equivalent to roughly £6 million today. Furthermore, it is believed that significant quantities of valuable metal remain unexploited within the mine.
What caused the owners to suddenly advertise the entire concern for sale in May 1846? Some suggest that, despite profits, the mine's financial affairs raised suspicion in 1845. Rumours indicated they were paying dividends with a bank overdraft. In December, before Trewavas closed, another shaft was sunk to 96 fathoms (175m), likely following another lode. However, the bankers demanded immediate repayment of £2000 from the overdraft, suggesting the owners didn't have the money; or did they...?
An oft-repeated tale tells of the mine being suddenly flooded during a shareholder dinner. Each year, a meal was set in the mine, deep beneath the sea. Recent excavations had brought them close to the sea floor, and water began leaking from the tunnel roof during final preparations. The waiters quickly retreated, and within minutes the mine was flooded, ruining the dinner.
The story does not end here. There is another reason that has been proposed for the closure of Wheal Trewavas, despite its continued production of valuable ore. It is believed that the owners might have owed money to the Duchy of Cornwall. The Royal Cornwall Gazette reported on December 9th 1859: ” . . . the celebrated Trewavas Mine which is said to have been abandoned in consequence of a dispute between the Lord and the Duchy, although it is well known that the lodes were rich at the time of stopping.”
It was suggested that the mine was deliberately flooded by Captains N and J Vivian in order to avoid paying the Duchy of Cornwall their backdated dues by concealing any evidence of the extent of the tunnels. This may also be why no plan of the mine survives either.
Captains N and J Vivian allegedly flooded the mine to hide the tunnels and avoid backdated payments to the Duchy of Cornwall, which may also explain the absence of any mine plans.
The mine equipment was advertised for sale by auction in 1846. Since then, the engine houses have stood silently on the cliffs they are now in the care of the National Trust. They are Grade II Listed.