Welcome to Poldark Mine, So Much More Than Just A Tin Mine...

With a history of tin production dating back some 4,000 years and having been somewhat isolated until the coming of the railway in the 1850's Cornwall is a land of culture and traditions which differ from the rest of Briton.

The Poldark site is steeped in this history containing a monument that dates from prehistoric tin production, being the site of the first recorded mechanical means of crushing tin ore and boasting a mine that dates from the Middle Ages. The Museum, Exhibition and Site Exhibits give an insight into the important role Cornwall played in the development of mining.

The Museum at Poldark provides an insight into the industrial and social history of Cornwall associated with tin production from prehistory to the 19th century.

Amongst its displays is the only interpretation of the Cornish Miners Militia, a unique regiment of the British army which operated from 1798 until 1908.

A little known fact is that an important part of Cornwall's mining and social heritage is scattered across the world. During the 18th and early 19th centuries Cornish miners took their skills across the world from Canada to New Zealand.

Established in 2011 and opened jointly by the British Ambassador to Mexico and the Mexican Ambassador to the United Kingdom the Exhibition explains a little of the fascinating story of the Cornish overseas.

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Amongst the many exhibits on the site Poldark boasts the world's only Cornish beam pumping engine still pumping water from a mine. Previously working at the Greensplat China Clay pit the engine was the last of its type to work commercially in Cornwall. In addition there is the unique Holman Traversing Winder built for the Paris Exhibition of 1901 and the Poldark Mortar Outcrop a unique site where tin ores were processed in prehistory.

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