Sage and Pepper's Musings

Cornwall, the county at the south western tip of England is famous for its rugged scenery, fog and mist, palm trees (yes, the climate is odd that way), pasties and as a setting for programmes like Doc Martin and Poldark.

Long before tourism became a major part of the economy, fishing and tin mining were two main components of what made it tick. It also is the site of the first transcontinental undersea cables to India, the United States and beyond that brought the time for getting a message to those places from weeks down to minutes.

I lived in Somerset for a while, a couple of counties east, but never visited Cornwall so on this trip decided to fix that with Tintagel and St Austell as my bases for a two day trip. This being the summer, temperatures down here are ~16c/~64f and it’s had a bit of rain, fog and mist. So no great sweeping coastal vistas for me, but a good time regardless.

Today was a visit to the Geevor tin mine (https://geevor.com) that dates back to around 1791 and is a fascinating look at the underground life of a miner, the technology they used and processing of the ore to extract tin and the various other elements, including gold, silver, arsenic and uranium. Yes, there’s a radiological warning on the lift shaft entrance these days.

By the time the mine closed in 1990, the mine shaft extended around a mile out under the seabed and had parallel shafts several hundred feet below the seabed. Needless to say, it was probably a bit uncomfortable down there.

The museum is well preserved and very well staffed with knowledgeable staff who can answer questions about all manner of mining.

Below ground (now the place you can walk through is very close to the surface, but gives you a taste of what awaits below), it a series of chambers and passages that you can walk through (and yes, you need a hard hat). The ceiling in much of this is at most 5′ high and the passages are narrow in places. It’s relatively well illuminated but not a place you want to be if you are tall, wide or claustrophobic…

Overall, a very good visit to this excellent example of a tin mine and should you find yourself in Cornwall, worth a stop.