Bosorne & Ballowal United

Grid reference SW359308

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Bosorne Mine is located about 600m southwest of St. Just on the flanks of the picturesque Cot Valley. It is bounded to the north by the Cape Cornwall Golf and Country Club and to the west by the coast at Porthnanven. The mine's nearest neighbours are Wheal Hermon and Wheal Bellan both 300 metres away. The main lodes of this mine were Polandanarrow, Scorran, Red Dippa Nos. 1,2 & 3, Belllan Lode, Bosorne Lode, North Bosorne, Wheal Venton, Minnis Glaze, Wheal Ferna, Wheal Widden, and Davy's Lodes with the major shafts being: Phillips, Bellan No.1 & No.2, North Wheal Venton, East Wheal Venton, Flat Rod, Wheal Winze, North and Madran Shafts.

The mine is thought to date from about 1820 and may at one time have been known as Wheal Vulcan. At some stage later North and East Wheal Venton mines were incorporated into the mine. Production in its early years seem to have been quite patchy as there are reports of the mine re-opening in 1824, for sale in 1825, worked during the 1830's and re-opened in 1850. There was a 15-inch pumping engine at the mine but its location is unknown as well as a large waterwheel. Its most productive year for Black Tin was in 1854 when it produced 10.90 tons with a value of £714. See Roger Burt's excellent Cornish Mines: Metalliferous and Associated Minerals, 1845-1913 (Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom, 1845-1913) for more details.

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