Trevaunance Mine

Overview

An old and once highly profitable copper and tin mine above Trevaunance Cove at St Agnes, part of the Polberro Mines (St Agnes Consols) complex, worked through most of the 19th century.

History

Trevaunance Mine, also known as Wheal Trevaunance, was an old working said to have paid out £100,000 in dividends over its life, and formed part of the wider Polberro Mines (St Agnes Consols) group above Trevaunance Cove. It worked from 1843 to 1887, producing some 1,960 tons of copper and 550 tons of tin; by 1864 the mine was 60 fathoms deep to adit and employed twelve people, though very little further sinking took place below that level. The mine's fortunes were tied to the same cove whose harbour -- repeatedly built and destroyed by storms since the Tonkin family's first attempt in 1710 -- served St Agnes's wider mining district for exporting ore and importing coal and timber.

Workings

Worked to 60 fathoms (to adit) by 1864, employing around twelve people at that time; part of the wider Polberro Mines (St Agnes Consols) group of workings above the cove.

Closure

Closed in 1887 after a working life recorded from 1843, by which point the mine had long since ceased sinking deeper.

What remains

The stack of the pumping engine house survives as a prominent feature of the site, with the truncated base of an enclosed beam winding engine visible a short distance to the east.

The pumping engine house stack and the base of a beam winding engine.

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.

• Trevaunance Mine worked from 1843 to 1887, producing about 1,960 tons of copper and 550 tons of tin. ¹
• By 1864 the mine was 60 fathoms deep to adit and employed twelve people, with very little work carried out below that level. ^1,2
• Trevaunance Mine is said to have paid its adventurers £100,000 in dividends over its working life. ¹

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Tywarnhayle Mine Cornwall (St Agnes area page) — Cornwall Calling
2. (secondary) Trevaunance Mine (Wheal Trevaunance) — Mindat

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026