Stray Park Mine

Overview

A copper and later tin mine on the south-east edge of Camborne, where the young Richard Trevithick worked and tried his high-pressure whim engine; never rich, it flooded in 1868 and was sold to its neighbour Dolcoath in 1870 for under £2,000.

History

Stray Park lay on the south-eastern fringe of Camborne, west of Dolcoath, and was first recorded in the late 1700s. Originally a copper mine, it was joined with Wheal Gons at the close of the eighteenth century. Richard Trevithick, at nineteen, was working at East Stray Park in 1790, and around 1801-02 men at Stray Park were working his new high-pressure whim engine, their pay carried to the purser Andrew Vivian by his young nephew John.

The mine's best years were the early 1830s. Camborne Vean was added to the sett around 1840 and Wheal Frances in 1847, but after losses in 1854 and 1855 the three were separated again in 1856. In 1857 a new lease was sought from John Francis Basset of Tehidy to go below the 140-fathom level for tin, and a new pumping engine and a 24-inch whim were put on the Machine (engine) shaft; four years of draining passed before any tin was raised, and the tin and the last copper only reduced the debts. In 1864 the owners were allowed to connect with Dolcoath at the 215-fathom level, but an accident in the winter of 1868 flooded the mine. It was put up for sale in August 1870 and Dolcoath bought it for just under £2,000; Dolcoath tried to sell it again in 1888 without success.

Geology

Copper lodes, with tin below the 140-fathom level.

Workings

Wheal Gons, Footway, Old Engine, Old East, Old Dolcoath and Eastern shafts and the Machine (engine) shaft; a pumping engine and a 24-inch whim installed in 1857.

Closure

Flooded after an accident in the winter of 1868; sold to Dolcoath in 1870, which failed to sell it on in 1888.

What remains

The pumping engine house survives.

The pumping engine house of the 1857 engine.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Dolcoath Mine — Stray Park was connected to Dolcoath at the 215-fathom level in 1864 and bought by Dolcoath in 1870.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The 1857 pumping engine at Stray Park had a 64-inch cylinder. (disputed) ¹
• The surviving pumping engine house at Stray Park held a 60-inch engine. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• Richard Trevithick was working at East Stray Park in 1790, and around 1801-02 men at Stray Park worked his new high-pressure whim engine. ¹
• In 1857 a new lease was sought to deepen the mine for tin below the 140-fathom level, with a new pumping engine and a 24-inch whim. ¹
• The 1857 pumping engine at Stray Park had a 64-inch cylinder. (disputed) ¹
• The surviving pumping engine house at Stray Park held a 60-inch engine. (disputed) ²
• After flooding in 1868 the mine was sold to Dolcoath in 1870 for about £2,000. ^1,2
• Stray Park worked tin and copper until 1870 from Wheal Gons, Footway, Old Engine, Old East, Old Dolcoath and Eastern shafts. ³
• Deposited plans group Stray Park with Camborne Vean, Wheal Frances and Wheal Gons, for tin and copper ores. ⁴

Sources

1. (secondary) Stray Park Mine — Grace's Guide
2. (observational) Camborne Mining District — Cornish Mine Images
3. (secondary) Cambourne, Cornwall Mines — Cornwall Calling
4. (primary) BGS mine plan: Stray Park, Camborne Vean, Wheal Frances, Wheal Gons (tin and copper ores) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026