East Pool Mine

Overview

East Pool, between Camborne and Redruth, worked continuously for almost two and a half centuries, switching from copper to tin as fortunes and markets changed. Its two preserved beam engines, still standing in their original engine houses, are among the best-known survivors of Cornwall's mining age.

History

A 1698 lease from Francis Basset to William Burrell granted rights to dig for tin and other metals at what was then called Pool Old Bal. The mine worked copper from the early 18th century until 1784, when the opening of shallow, cheaper copper deposits on Anglesey collapsed the market price and made the operation unprofitable. It lay largely dormant until 1834, when it reopened as East Pool Mine and switched its focus to tin, alongside smaller quantities of arsenic and tungsten. The mine went on to raise around 92,000 tons of copper ore and 47,000 tons of tin ore over its working life, and remained an important local employer even after tin demand declined in the late 19th century, employing over 500 people in most years between 1884 and 1913 — the year it was incorporated as East Pool and Agar Ltd. A serious underground rockfall in 1921 destroyed both of the mine's winding shafts and caused flooding; a new shaft, named Taylor's Shaft after the mine manager, was begun the following year and equipped with a new 90-inch cylinder pumping engine, installed by 1924. The mine was eventually taken over by its neighbour, South Crofty, and closed in 1945.

Geology

East Pool worked tin and copper lodes in the heavily mineralised ground between Camborne and Redruth, also yielding smaller quantities of arsenic, wolframite (tungsten ore), bismuth, cobalt and uranium minerals.

Workings

Workings had reached at least 90 fathoms (about 165 m) by 1843; the mine's final depth is not confirmed by sources consulted here. Taylor's Shaft, sunk from 1922 after a catastrophic rockfall destroyed the mine's earlier winding shafts, was equipped with a 90-inch cylinder non-rotative pumping engine designed by Nicholas Trestrail and built by Harvey & Co in 1892.

Closure

The mine was taken over by the neighbouring South Crofty mine and closed in 1945; sources consulted here do not give a specific reason beyond the takeover itself.

What remains

The site is preserved as an industrial heritage attraction, with an Industrial Discovery Centre at Taylor's Shaft incorporating 1920s-era mine buildings, and is owned and managed by the National Trust.

Two beam engines survive in their original engine houses — the Harvey's engine at Taylor's Shaft and the engine at Michell's Shaft — along with associated engine houses, a chimney stack carrying the letters "EPAL" (East Pool and Agar Limited), and boiler structures. The site was designated a Scheduled Monument on 3 September 2004 and includes multiple Grade II and II* listed buildings.

Redevelopment

The site operates today as a National Trust visitor attraction and forms part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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.

• A large underground rockfall in 1921 destroyed both of East Pool's winding shafts and caused flooding; a new shaft, Taylor's Shaft, was begun in 1922 and named after the mine manager. ¹
• Over its working life East Pool raised around 92,000 tons of copper ore and 47,000 tons of tin ore. ¹
• The site was designated a Scheduled Monument on 3 September 2004. ¹

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) East Pool mine — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) History of East Pool Mine — National Trust