MineArchiveWest Godolphin Mine
| Also known as | Wheal Junket, Godolphin West |
|---|---|
| Location | Wheal Junket, west of Godolphin, Breage, Cornwall — 50.1356, -5.3816 (exact) |
| Commodity | Tin |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | By the late 1860s–1889 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Duke of Leeds |
Overview
A tin mine on the Duke of Leeds's land west of Godolphin, in Breage, whose pumping engine house at Wheal Junket, built around the late 1860s, is listed; its workings were abandoned in 1889.
History
West Godolphin Mine lay on the western side of the Godolphin estate in the parish of Breage, about five miles from Helston. It was worked for tin by a cost-book company of 5,000 shares on a 21-year lease from the Duke of Leeds, with John Pope as manager and chief agent and its purser in London. The ground was killas and granite, with several east-west lodes and counter lodes, and the mine had a 30-inch steam engine and a waterwheel for the stamps and dressing floors. Its pumping engine house at Wheal Junket was built around the late 1860s of granite rubble with dressed granite quoins and a granite ashlar bob wall, with a brick upper stage to the round chimney at its west corner; it was listed at Grade II in 1987. Abandonment plans of the Godolphin West tin workings are dated 22 October 1889.
Geology
Killas and granite, with several east-west lodes and counter lodes.
Workings
Shafts drained by a 30-inch steam engine, with a waterwheel for stamping and dressing.
Closure
The tin workings were abandoned in October 1889.
What remains
The pumping engine house at Wheal Junket stands as a shell, its floors and machinery removed.
The Grade II listed engine house at Wheal Junket.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- Godolphin Mine — Neighbouring mines on the Godolphin estate.
- Great Work Mine — Both worked on the Duke of Leeds's land on the Godolphin estate.
Nearby mines
- Great Work Mine — 0.9 miles (1.4 km) SE
- Godolphin Mine — 1.4 miles (2.2 km) E
- Halamanning Mine — 1.4 miles (2.3 km) W
- Tregonning Hill China Clay Pits — 1.5 miles (2.3 km) SE
- Wheal Grey Mine — 1.7 miles (2.8 km) SE
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- West Godolphin was worked for tin by a cost-book company of 5,000 shares on a 21-year lease from the Duke of Leeds; John Pope was manager. 1
- It had a 30-inch steam engine and a waterwheel for stamping and dressing. 1
- The disused beam engine house at Wheal Junket dates from about the late 1860s, of granite rubble with a brick upper stage to the chimney, and is Grade II listed. 2
- The engine house was listed on 26 August 1987. 3
- Abandonment plans of the Godolphin West tin workings are dated 22 October 1889. 4
Sources
- (secondary) West Godolphin Mine — Cornwall Calling
- (secondary) Engine House at SW584316, Wheal Junket, West Godolphin Mine, Breage (Grade II) — British Listed Buildings (Historic England listing text)
- (secondary) Engine House at SW584316, Wheal Junket, West Godolphin Mine (Q26613673) — Wikidata
- (primary) BGS mine plan: Godolphin West, tin ore, abandoned 1889 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026