Carnon Mine was a tin mine at
Restronguet Creek
Restronguet Creek is a tidal ria in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a tributary of Carrick Roads, the estuary of the River Fal, and is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) south of Truro and three miles (5 km) north ...
, near the village of
Devoran
Devoran ( kw, Deveryon) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is southwest of Truro at .Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' Formerly an ecclesiastical parish, Devoran is now in the civil par ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
, England. A ruined engine house survives on the north bank of the creek. It is a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
.
History
The tin mine opened in 1824. The surviving engine house is thought to have housed an engine of cylinder diameter 24 inches. An artificial island was created in the estuary; shafts, in the form of cast iron cylinders made at
Perran Foundry
Perranarworthal ( kw, Peran ar Wodhel) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Falmouth and five miles (8 km) southwest of Truro. Perranarworthal p ...
, were sunk there, and a 14-inch engine and horse
whim
Whim may refer to:
* Whim, U.S. Virgin Islands, a settlement
* Whim (mining), a capstan or drum with a vertical axle used in mining
* Whim (carriage), a type of carriage
* ''Whim'', a reissue of ''Adventures of Wim'', a book by George Cockroft as ...
erected. Water was pumped from the mine by the engine on the estuary bank via
flatrods.
["Carnon Mine"]
''Explore Cornwall''. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
The mine was profitable, but closed in 1830; the
Redruth and Chasewater Railway
The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, (otherwise called the ''Redruth and Chacewater Railway'' using modern spelling), was an early mineral railway line in Cornwall, England, UK. It opened in 1825 and was built to convey the output from copper mine ...
complained that boats using the creek were obstructed.
[
]
Description
The south-east wall and parts of the north-east and south-west walls of the engine house survive, to a height of two storeys of the original three storeys. The south-west wall, the "bob wall" that supported the beam of the beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcome ...
, is thicker than the others.[
]
See also
* Mining in Cornwall and Devon
Mining in Cornwall and Devon, in the South West England, southwest of England, began in the early Bronze Age, around 2150 BC. Tin, and later copper, were the most commonly extracted metals. Some tin mining continued long after the mining of o ...
References
{{Reflist
Tin mines in Cornwall
Grade II listed buildings in Cornwall