MineArchivePendarves Mine
| Location | Killivose/Beacon, south of Camborne, Cornwall — 50.2010, -5.3070 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Tin |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | 1970–1988 |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure has yet been located. |
| Operators | Camborne Mines Ltd (1970–1988) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A late-20th-century revival of tin mining at Camborne, worked by Camborne Mines Ltd from 1970 until the 1985 collapse of the International Tin Council ended the venture in 1988.
History
Pendarves Mine was a product of the 1960s resurgence of interest in Cornish tin. Simms Shaft was sunk in 1967-68 -- the first new shaft sunk anywhere in Cornwall in forty years -- followed by initial underground development. Camborne Mines Ltd was formed on 1 May 1970 to operate the mine, and by the late 1970s production had reached around 40,000 tons of ore a year. The mine's fortunes, like those of every other working Cornish tin mine, were destroyed when the International Tin Council collapsed financially in October 1985 and the price of tin halved overnight, from over £10,000 to under £3,000 a tonne; Pendarves closed in 1988.
Workings
Worked via Simms Shaft, sunk 1967-68 as the first new shaft in Cornwall in forty years, with underground development following.
Closure
Closed in 1988, three years after the October 1985 collapse of the International Tin Council halved the world tin price overnight.
What remains
No reliable current-condition detail has yet been located.
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.
- By the late 1970s Pendarves was producing around 40,000 tons of ore a year. 1
- The October 1985 collapse of the International Tin Council halved the tin price overnight, from over £10,000 to under £3,000 a tonne, closing Pendarves along with other Cornish tin mines by 1988. 2
- Simms Shaft, sunk 1967-68, was the first entirely new shaft sunk anywhere in Cornwall in forty years. 1
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
Sources
- (secondary) Pendarves Mine (Wheal Pendarves) — Mindat
- (secondary) The story of Cornish tin mining — British Heritage
Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026