Wheal Alfred

Overview

A major early 19th-century copper mine a mile east of Hayle, formed from the merger of several smaller setts -- Wheal Alfred proper and its East, North and South workings -- that together raised some 175,000 tons of copper ore, and is protected today as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its fine mineral specimens.

History

Wheal Alfred was working by 1801, one of several adjoining setts -- alongside East Wheal Alfred, North Wheal Alfred and South Wheal Alfred -- that were consolidated into the wider Great Wheal Alfred complex just to the south-east of Copperhouse, Hayle. Between 1801 and 1864 the complex as a whole raised approximately 175,000 tons of copper ore, making it one of the richest copper producers in a county then at the height of its own mining wealth. The mine was worked via a substantial number of named shafts, including Davey's, Hosking's, Nicholls, Falmouth, Copper House, Paynter's, Field's Engine, Bull's, Cherry Tree and the Western Boundary Shaft. A constituent sett, Alfred Consols, was worked specifically for copper and tin between 1846 and 1862. The site is famous among geologists today for its important mineral specimens, particularly mimetite and pyromorphite, and was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1990; it is also recognised as a Geological Conservation Review site.

Geology

Copper and tin lodes a mile east of Hayle, worked from several merged setts.

Workings

Worked via a substantial number of named shafts -- including Davey's, Hosking's, Nicholls, Falmouth, Copper House, Paynter's, Field's Engine, Bull's, Cherry Tree and the Western Boundary Shaft -- across the merged Wheal Alfred, East, North and South setts.

Closure

Unknown.

What remains

A Site of Special Scientific Interest, designated in 1990, and a Geological Conservation Review site, valued for its mimetite and pyromorphite mineral specimens.

Related mines

• Tregurtha Downs Mine — The 80-inch pumping engine that Tregurtha Downs was built around was originally fitted at Wheal Alfred Consols, the first of the four mines it worked at, according to the engine house's listing.

Recorded claims

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

• Wheal Alfred, working by 1801, was one of several adjoining setts -- alongside East, North and South Wheal Alfred -- consolidated into the wider Great Wheal Alfred complex, which as a whole raised approximately 175,000 tons of copper ore between 1801 and 1864. ¹
• The mine was worked via a substantial number of named shafts, including Davey's, Hosking's, Nicholls, Falmouth, Copper House, Paynter's, Field's Engine, Bull's, Cherry Tree and the Western Boundary Shaft. ¹
• A constituent sett, Alfred Consols, was worked specifically for copper and tin between 1846 and 1862. ¹
• The site was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1990, valued by geologists for its mimetite and pyromorphite mineral specimens, and is also a Geological Conservation Review site. ²
• Located at about 50.184 N, 5.392 W. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Great Wheal Alfred (Alfred Consols), Hayle — Mindat.org
2. (secondary) Wheal Alfred — Wikipedia

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026