Cape Cornwall Mine

Overview

A tin mine worked in three separate phases at the westernmost point of mainland Cornwall, whose 1864 engine-house chimney survives as a landmark and navigation aid on the cape itself.

History

Cape Cornwall Mine was worked at Cape Cornwall, 1.9 km west of St Just, across three distinct phases: 1838-1849, 1864-1875 and 1879-1883. In 1841, during its first phase, the mine employed 100 men, 2 women and 26 boys, but development was hampered by the erratic quality of the lode and an apparent lack of investment, and it closed as a small and relatively unremarkable working in 1849. It reopened in 1864 under St Just Consolidated Mines, which built an engine house near the peak of the cape to serve the boiler of the mine's whim, connected by a stone flue running up the hillside; a tall octagonal chimney with round-headed blind arches and a corbelled cornice survives from this phase and was deliberately retained afterwards as an aid to navigation. St Just Consolidated Mines abandoned the workings in 1869, though the mine continued to operate independently until 1875. A final phase, 1879-1883, was worked under St Just United.

Workings

Worked in three phases (1838-49, 1864-75, 1879-83); the mine's whim was served by a boiler house connected via a stone flue to an 1864 engine house near the cape's peak.

Closure

Closed for the final time in 1883, after three separate working phases going back to 1838.

What remains

The 1864 chimney survives as a landmark on Cape Cornwall, deliberately retained after mining ended as an aid to navigation for shipping; the site is now owned by the National Trust as part of its Tin Coast holdings.

The octagonal 1864 engine-house chimney, with round-headed blind arches and a corbelled cornice.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Cape Cornwall Mine worked in three phases: 1838-1849, 1864-1875 (reopened by St Just Consolidated Mines, which abandoned it in 1869 though it continued independently) and 1879-1883 under St Just United. ¹
• In 1841 the mine employed 100 men, 2 women and 26 boys; development was hampered by the erratic quality of the lode and a lack of investment. ²

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Images

Sources

1. (secondary) Cape Cornwall Mine — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Cape Cornwall Mine — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026