Wheal Baddon

Overview

Wheal Baddon (also Wheal Baden or Great Wheal Baddern), part of the Bissoe Bridge Mining Association group near Bissoe in Kea parish, sold lead, silver, zinc and tin ore between the 1850s and 1870s -- rich enough in lead and silver to give its name to the hamlet that grew up around it.

History

Wheal Baddon lies at Bissoe, in Kea parish, and gave its name to the small hamlet south of Baldhu that grew up around the mine. Working under the Bissoe Bridge Mining Association as part of the wider Great Wheal Baddern group, the mine sold 3,379 tons of lead ore, at a reported grade of 70%, between 1850 and 1870, alongside 41,107 ounces of silver recovered from the same lead concentrate over the same period. It also raised and sold 1,137 tons of zinc ore between 1854 and 1857, and 26 tons of black tin across 1852-1872, suggesting a working life across at least two decades with lead and silver as its main product. No reliable opening or final closure date, workforce figures or named operators beyond the Bissoe Bridge Mining Association have 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.

• Between 1850 and 1870 Wheal Baddon sold 3,379 tons of lead ore at 70% grade, and recovered 41,107 ounces of silver from the same ore over the same period. ¹
• 1,137 tons of zinc ore were raised and sold between 1854 and 1857. ¹
• 26 tons of black tin were extracted across 1852-1872. ¹
• The mine is also recorded as Wheal Baden and Great Wheal Baddern, worked as part of the Bissoe Bridge Mining Association's wider group of workings. ²
• The BGS/Mining Remediation Authority mine-plans catalogue holds records for Wheal Baddern and Wheal Baddon, including a general geology plan, though none carries a public scan. ³

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Wheal Baddon — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Baddern (Whl) — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) Wheal Baddern - Cornwall (mine plans) — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue

Record created: 29 August 2026 · Last researched: 29 August 2026