King Edward Mine
Encyclopedia
The King Edward Mine at Camborne
, Cornwall
, in the United Kingdom
is a mine wholly owned by the Camborne School of Mines
of the University of Exeter
.
At the end of the 19th century students at the Camborne School of Mines spent much of their time doing practical mining
and tin dressing work in the local tin
mines. The industry was almost in terminal decline and the surviving mines were falling behind technically. This was hardly ideal from the instruction point of view. The only real solution was for Camborne School of Mines to have its own underground mine.
. This offered the opportunity to work both William's Lode and the Great Flat Lode down to 400 feet from surface. No pumping was necessary as all water in the mine drained into the then working Grenville mine to the south. Between 1897 and 1906 the mine was almost totally re-equipped based on what was then the best of Cornish mining and milling practice. Engine Shaft and William's Shafts were re-equipped, the underground workings cleared and a number of surface building erected including a complete modern full-scale tin dressing plant, survey office, workshops, and lecture rooms. The original Count House (mine offices) and changehouse facilities were retained. The mine was operated semi-commercially and produced tin on a regular basis, employing some 10-20 men in additional to the college teaching staff. Much of the production work was carried out by students. In 1901, it was re-named King Edward Mine.
Cornish mines, due to conservatism and a lack of cash, were slow to adopt the mechanised dressing equipment and methods which were developed at the end of the 19th century. Most dressing plants of that period merely allowed the pulp coming from the Cornish stamps to settle in long launders from where it was dug out for final treatment in buddles and kieves - a labour intensive and inefficient process. Dolcoath Mine
was probably the most progressive mine in the county and the first Californian stamps were erected there around 1892 to be followed by the first vanners
and shaking tables about 1898. The mill at King Edward Mine was one of the first Cornish dressing plants to be designed from new to utilise this new equipment.
The post-war slump in 1921 saw the closure of Wheal Grenville which resulted in the flooding of King Edward Mine. Mining operations were transferred, albeit on a far smaller scale, to the adjacent Great Condurrow Mine, to the north, a small portion of which was above the natural drainage level. This underground facility is still used by the Camborne School of Mines.
Over the years as mining education became more technical, the tin dressing machinery was replaced with pilot scale equipment. In 1974 the pilot plant was transferred to the new School of Mines Trevenson
Campus at Pool and the 'mill complex' part of the site which included the mill, stamps, mill engine house, boiler house and the calciner
had been largely stripped of their equipment and were no longer required for educational purposes.
. The objectives of the group can be summarised as follows:
Supported by the School of Mines a team of volunteers, mainly drawn from the Carn Brea
Mining Society, have spent in excess of 10,000 hours on the project. Much material and equipment has been loaned or donated and the mill has been largely returned to a working condition, substantially as it would have been in the early years of the 20th century. King Edward Mine is the oldest complete mining site left in Cornwall. Whilst designed for education purposes it demonstrates, on a small scale, all that would have been found on the best Cornish mine at the turn of the century. This has been recognised by English Heritage
who have listed the whole site Grade II*.
leased the "museum/mill" part of the site from the Camborne School of Mines
. After major building repairs, funded by a European grant as part of the Mineral Tramways Project, the site was officially opened to the public on the 28th April 2002. Today the visitor can see the newly re-collared Engine shaft and a small museum in what was the mill engine room which tells the story of the site, mining techniques and tin dressing, as well as providing an introduction to the human side of the site. The mine was intensively photographed by the Cornish photographer J.C. Burrow throughout its construction and development period and is certainly the most photographed mine of its size in Cornwall. Many of these photographs are used in the museum displays. A guided tour of the mill is also available. Here can be seen the Californian stamps (erected in 1901) which are the only full size set in existence in the UK and probably in Europe. They are complete and in original condition. Much of the machinery in the mill is demonstrated working.
, the day after Camborne
's Trevithick day. In 2009 it is held on 26 April and features local brass bands and dancers as well as demonstrations of vanning, vintage tractors, cars and stationary engines, a model railway exhibition and mine models.
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is a mine wholly owned by the Camborne School of Mines
Camborne School of Mines
The Camborne School of Mines , commonly abbreviated to CSM, was founded in 1888. It is now a specialist department of the University of Exeter. Its research and teaching is related to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural processes, resources and the environment...
of the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
.
At the end of the 19th century students at the Camborne School of Mines spent much of their time doing practical mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and tin dressing work in the local tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mines. The industry was almost in terminal decline and the surviving mines were falling behind technically. This was hardly ideal from the instruction point of view. The only real solution was for Camborne School of Mines to have its own underground mine.
South Condurrow Mine
In 1897, Camborne School of Mines took over the abandoned eastern part of the South Condurrow Mine around Engine ShaftEngine Shaft
An engine shaft is a mine shaft used for the purpose of pumping, irrespective of the prime mover....
. This offered the opportunity to work both William's Lode and the Great Flat Lode down to 400 feet from surface. No pumping was necessary as all water in the mine drained into the then working Grenville mine to the south. Between 1897 and 1906 the mine was almost totally re-equipped based on what was then the best of Cornish mining and milling practice. Engine Shaft and William's Shafts were re-equipped, the underground workings cleared and a number of surface building erected including a complete modern full-scale tin dressing plant, survey office, workshops, and lecture rooms. The original Count House (mine offices) and changehouse facilities were retained. The mine was operated semi-commercially and produced tin on a regular basis, employing some 10-20 men in additional to the college teaching staff. Much of the production work was carried out by students. In 1901, it was re-named King Edward Mine.
Cornish mines, due to conservatism and a lack of cash, were slow to adopt the mechanised dressing equipment and methods which were developed at the end of the 19th century. Most dressing plants of that period merely allowed the pulp coming from the Cornish stamps to settle in long launders from where it was dug out for final treatment in buddles and kieves - a labour intensive and inefficient process. Dolcoath Mine
Dolcoath mine
Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Cornish for 'Old Ground', and it was also affectionately known as The Queen of Cornish Mines. The site is north-west of Carn Brea. Dolcoath Road runs between the A3047 road and Chapel Hill...
was probably the most progressive mine in the county and the first Californian stamps were erected there around 1892 to be followed by the first vanners
Vanning
Vanning is a type of ore dressing by which ores are washed on a shovel.Typically, a powdered sample of orestuff is swirled with water on the blade of a shovel and then given a series of upward flicking motions. The heavier ore is tossed up through the water and appears as a crescent shaped patch at...
and shaking tables about 1898. The mill at King Edward Mine was one of the first Cornish dressing plants to be designed from new to utilise this new equipment.
Great Condurrow Mine
Over the years as mining education became more technical, the tin dressing machinery was replaced with pilot scale equipment. In 1974 the pilot plant was transferred to the new School of Mines Trevenson
Trevenson
Trevenson is a suburb of Redruth in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.It is a small area which makes up part of the Carn Brea parish.-Education:...
Campus at Pool and the 'mill complex' part of the site which included the mill, stamps, mill engine house, boiler house and the calciner
Calcination
Calcination is a thermal treatment process applied to ores and other solid materials to bring about a thermal decomposition, phase transition, or removal of a volatile fraction. The calcination process normally takes place at temperatures below the melting point of the product materials...
had been largely stripped of their equipment and were no longer required for educational purposes.
Museum
In 1987 a group was formed with a view to turning the mill complex into a museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. The objectives of the group can be summarised as follows:
- To preserve the buildings and the site, which is of significant historical importance.
- To re-equip the mill to working condition using, where possible, rescued and preserved equipment which itself is of historical interest.
- To establish a small museum telling the story of King Edward Mine, the local "Flat Lode" mining area, tin dressing etc.
- To rescue and to preserve industrial plant and equipment relevant to Cornish industry.
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
Mining Society, have spent in excess of 10,000 hours on the project. Much material and equipment has been loaned or donated and the mill has been largely returned to a working condition, substantially as it would have been in the early years of the 20th century. King Edward Mine is the oldest complete mining site left in Cornwall. Whilst designed for education purposes it demonstrates, on a small scale, all that would have been found on the best Cornish mine at the turn of the century. This has been recognised by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
who have listed the whole site Grade II*.
Trevithick Trust
In mid-2000 the Trevithick TrustRichard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick was a British inventor and mining engineer from Cornwall. His most significant success was the high pressure steam engine and he also built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive...
leased the "museum/mill" part of the site from the Camborne School of Mines
Camborne School of Mines
The Camborne School of Mines , commonly abbreviated to CSM, was founded in 1888. It is now a specialist department of the University of Exeter. Its research and teaching is related to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural processes, resources and the environment...
. After major building repairs, funded by a European grant as part of the Mineral Tramways Project, the site was officially opened to the public on the 28th April 2002. Today the visitor can see the newly re-collared Engine shaft and a small museum in what was the mill engine room which tells the story of the site, mining techniques and tin dressing, as well as providing an introduction to the human side of the site. The mine was intensively photographed by the Cornish photographer J.C. Burrow throughout its construction and development period and is certainly the most photographed mine of its size in Cornwall. Many of these photographs are used in the museum displays. A guided tour of the mill is also available. Here can be seen the Californian stamps (erected in 1901) which are the only full size set in existence in the UK and probably in Europe. They are complete and in original condition. Much of the machinery in the mill is demonstrated working.
Buildings
Elsewhere on the site, but not currently open to the public are:- The mine office - the only 'Count House' in Cornwall still used for the purpose for which it was built in the 1860s.
- The timber framed and panelled Survey Office - a classic structure of which no other examples remain in Cornwall.
- The carpenters' shop, blacksmith's shop, vanning room and the original miners 'dry'.
- The cobbled 'spalling' floor, which probably dates from about 1865 when the mine was predominantly a copperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
producer, which is one of the better examples remaining in Cornwall.
Open days
The mine holds an annual open day as a celebration of mining in CornwallMining in Cornwall
Mining in Cornwall and Devon began in the early Bronze Age approximately 2,150 BC and ended with the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall closing in 1998...
, the day after Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
's Trevithick day. In 2009 it is held on 26 April and features local brass bands and dancers as well as demonstrations of vanning, vintage tractors, cars and stationary engines, a model railway exhibition and mine models.
External links
- King Edward Mine.
- Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter, Cornwall CampusUniversity of Exeter, Cornwall CampusUniversity of Exeter, Cornwall Campus is a campus of the University of Exeter at Tremough, in Penryn, Cornwall. Since 2004 it has housed all the university's operations in Cornwall, previously scattered across a number of different sites. It is set in of countryside, but close to the towns of...
.