MineArchiveWheal Emily
| Location | Low cliffs west of Gwithian, beside Strap Rocks, St Ives Bay, Cornwall — 50.2244, -5.3934 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodities | Copper, Lead, Zinc |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | 1857 (reopened)–April 1860 |
| Maximum depth | 42-fathom level (77 m) at Engine shaft |
Overview
A small copper and lead mine in the low cliffs west of Gwithian beside Strap Rocks, reopened in 1857 and closed in April 1860 after its last year ended in heavy debt.
History
Tin had been taken off the beach below Gwithian for so long that a path was cut through the rocks for carts, and Wheal Emily worked the low cliffs to the west of the village, beside Strap Rocks. It has no recorded opening date. The mine was reopened in 1857 and that year produced 40 tons of good-quality copper ore. The following year 20 tons of galena were sold at £20 a ton, and blende was raised too; recorded output for 1859 was 169 tons of copper ore, 75 tons of lead ore and 25 tons of blende.
Its one prominent shaft, Engine shaft, was worked by a 26-inch engine and reached the 42-fathom level, with levels driven off it in several directions, and the mine also had a water-wheel 30 feet across. After the first finds of copper and lead the lodes proved poor. Between April 1859 and January 1860 the mine made just over £358 while owing more than £2,796, and it closed in April 1860, having lost over £2,000 in its final year.
Geology
Lodes carrying copper and lead ore with blende, which proved poor beyond the first finds.
Workings
Engine shaft, worked by a 26-inch engine, reached the 42-fathom level, with levels driven in several directions. A 30-foot water-wheel also served the mine.
Closure
The mine closed in April 1860, having lost over £2,000 in its final year.
What remains
Very little remains.
The remains of a truck on rails jut from the beach below the mine.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Boiling Well Mine — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) S
- Wheal Lucy — 2.1 miles (3.4 km) SW
- Herland Mine — 2.4 miles (3.9 km) S
- Wheal Jennings — 2.6 miles (4.1 km) SE
- Wheal Alfred — 2.8 miles (4.5 km) S
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.
- Wheal Emily reopened in 1857 and produced 40 tons of good-quality copper ore that year. 1,2
- In 1859 the mine raised 169 tons of copper ore, 75 tons of lead ore and 25 tons of blende. 2
- In the year after reopening, 20 tons of galena were sold at £20 a ton. 1
- Engine shaft was worked by a 26-inch engine and reached the 42-fathom level. 2
- The mine closed in April 1860, having lost over £2,000 in its final year. 1,2
Sources
- (secondary) The Towans — Wikipedia
- (secondary) Wheal Emily — Explore Cornwall
Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026