Little is known of the early working of the mine, which was originally worked sometime between 1720 and 1780. In 1856 it became part of the Wendron Consols Mine and is shown on the surface plan of that mine as 'old men's workings' meaning that it was at that date considered a very old mine.

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Plan And Section of Poldark Mine

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A DESCRIPTION OF THE POLDARK MINE TOUR

These notes have been prepared for study purposes either prior to or following a visit, we ask that they are not used whist on the Mine Tour

The tour commences with an introductory talk and safety video by your mine guide.

The complete tour takes approximately one hour.

Once a tunnel or level has been driven into rock for the purpose of extracting minerals it becomes and always remains a mine for the purposes of the Mines and Quarries Acts. Wheal Roots was once a mine and Poldark is therefore required to be a Registered Mine. Had the levels been originally driven for public access then the 'mine' would be designated a tourist attraction and would not be governed by the Mines and Quarries Acts.

Poldark Mine was between 2 and 4 kilometers below the surface when the granite mass was originally formed, some 2 million years ago. Since that time erosion has reduced the land surface. In addition the granite mass tilted to the north. The result is that the geological features and mineralisation visible in the mine are only encountered below a depth of 550 meters in the mines to the north and are now of national importance, being the only place where such mineralisation can be inspected.

At Point A on the plan the visitors enter the adit level driven on Wheal Roots Lode and is now within the 18th century mine. This level has been enlarged to permit visitor access however the Adit to the west is its original size. Out of the view of the visitor and further west the levels have been driven using picks and gads, probably before the introduction of explosives in Cornwall in 1689.

 

 

 

 

 

At Point B there is a Shammelling Shaft which goes from Adit Level to the surface. The Adit was driven on Wheal Roots Lode which is composed of Blue Peach varying in width from 15 cm to 30cm and contained in the granite country rock the lode is very distinct and an outstanding example of a tin lode and the only accessible example of a Blue Peach lode available. Immediately prior to point B there is a small stope above the Adit level where the lode has been mined. This area is of national importance for its geology as it contains one of the major tin ore types which are no longer visible anywhere else in Cornwall. The mineralisation at Poldark represents a style that usually occurs at depth in the latest working mines in Cornwall and is the only example of this type that can still be inspected. At South Crofty Blue Peach veins occurred from the 290 fathom level down.

Haematite filled joint on Adit Level

At Point C is Adit Shaft of Wheal Roots Lode. The shaft is sunk on the underlie, in other words it follows the angle of the lode. Looking up the shaft you can see the original stone wall built to keep back the overburden and soils. Adit Shaft is some 50 meters from the original Adit entrance and was made to improve ventilation. It follows Wheal Roots Lode to surface and thereby enabled the miners to assess the tin values contained in the Lode between the Adit and surface.

At Point D Adit Level has been blocked off to prevent water entering the workings through it. The reason being that the level, which was originally above the level of the River Cober is now some 5 meters below it. Over the centuries since the level was driven the valley floor has silted and the river has risen in height. The pump operating here raises the water both from this level and from the larger pump situated at the bottom of the mine to the surface. The pump operates continually throughout the year.

At Point E the visitor enters Jewson's Crosscut, (named after one of group who rescued the mine from closure in 2000). Lodes are normally parallel to each other and a Crosscut is the mining term for a level usually driven at right angles to the lodes and in search of other lodes or to connect with other lodes. The visitor will note that there is no visible minerialisation as they pass through the level. Points of interest along it include the fact that for a considerable length the Crosscut left hand wall appears very smooth. This is because it follows a geological fault. At some point in geological time the granite has moved, one side of the fault moved upwards and the other down. The clay filling has come from the granite itself which has been ground to a fine powder as a result of the great pressure when the granite faulted. A natural weakness in the granite the early miners would have looked for when driving such a level to make mining a little easier. Along the Crosscut white angular crystals are clearly visible in the granite. These are Feldspar crystals, a constituent mineral of granite and which, when decomposed become Kaolinite better known as China Clay. The St. Austell district is famous for its deposits of China Clay.

Clay filling on the geological fault, Jewson's Crosscut

At Point F there is a NNE-SSW crosscourse, there are a number of small crosscourses in the mine of which this is the largest.

At Point G the visitor enters Middle Lode. To the visitors left there is a Stope, an area where the lode has been removed, complete with Pillars. Pillar is the mining term for parts of the lode that have been left in place to support the ground. Lodes in Cornwall are almost always at an angle from vertical, the upper side of the lode is known as the Hanging Wall and the opposite or lower side is known as the Foot Wall. Varying in thickness from a centimeter to ten centimeters Middle Lode is not such a consistent lode as Wheal Roots Lode. It becomes 'pinched' in other words very narrow as the visitor passes along it. The lode remained rich below this level, below the visitors feet is an opening going down, this is known as an 'Underhand Stope' in other words a working on the lode below a level.

At Point H another crosscut is entered and two shafts are passed.

At Point J Main Lode is entered. This lode was by far the richest in the mine and was worked to within a few feet of the surface. Immediately in front is a Pillar. The route now descends via a steel stairway through a large stope on Middle Lode. Note the large timbers spanning the stope, these are original timbers that were used for working platforms and not as many people think to support the rock.

At Point K, partway down the stairway, the rock of the Footwall is smooth. The visitor is now in Horse Whim Shaft, the principle shaft of the mine. Horse Whim Shaft stretches from surface down through the mine. The Shaft has been 'sunk on the lode', in other words the early practice of sinking a shaft in the lode itself. Whilst this practice meant that ore was being removed and therefore the cost of the shaft offset the result of this practice was crooked shafts which were expensive and difficult to use when steam engines were introduced. The Footwall of the shaft has been worn smooth by the passing of Kibbles, large buckets used to raise the tin ores from the mine. The Kibbles were pulled up the shaft bouncing against the footwall. This is an important archaeological feature that gives some indication of the age of the mine. From Point K the stairway leads down through Main Lode to the bottom of the mine so far explored.

At Point L, at the bottom of the stairway, our main pump operates, this is a three inch high head submersible pump which is in continual operation. This point is some 180 feet below the surface. Below the walkway the mine workings continue to an unknown depth. From this point a new tunnel with steps has been constructed to give a circular route to the mine tour. For the first 15 meters this tunnel has a low roof.

At Point M water issues from a borehole. This water is of mineral water quality and has in the past been bottled and sold.

At Point N the new tunnel passes through a stope which is on Middle Lode and almost directly below Point G. The tunnel continues upward until it reaches the Holman Chamber.

Point P is the Holman Chamber named after the Camborne company of Holman Brothers once a major local employer and a world leader in the development and manufacture of compressed air equipment for the mining industry. Much of the former Holman's Museum is stored at Poldark and includes the first compressed air rock drill used in a Cornish mine. The Holman Chamber is a registered place for wedding ceremonies.

At Point Q a level goes off to the left in which there is a depiction of what the working conditions were like underground in the eighteenth century.

At Point R a small exploratory working on a lode known as New Tin Lode is to the left of the level. This lode has not been encountered on the Adit Level and is an example of some of the faults in the granite which vary in thickness and can at times be a mere pencil line and within a short distance become much wider and mineralised. In the floor of New Tin Lode is a small pool of water which is our Wishing Well. Monies collected in the Well are used to support projects that preserve Cornwall's international heritage and the work of Cornwall Mine Rescue Group. Back to top of page