Perranzabuloe Mining District - Budnick Consols

OS Explorer Map 104: Grid reference SW773547

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Budnick Consols lies in Perranzabuloe parish to the east of the town of Perranporth, about a quarter of a mile from the site of Perranporth Golf Club and to the east of the B3285 road where it enters the hamlet of Rose. It borders Wheal Leisure and Great St. George to the west, to the north lies North Wheal Rose whilst to the south lies Perran Consols. The mine dates from the early 1830's. George Abbot stated in his book An Essay on the Mines of England, (1833), that Wheal Budnick was a 'Mine not sufficiently advanced to enable one to form any correct conclusion as to their results, they are selling small quantities of ore, but are not sufficiently extended or opened in the ore ground'.

Production at the tin mine was very variable. It was what used to be called a 'bunchy mine'. The reserves of tin were very erratic and lodes unreliable. According to Joseph Yelloly Watson in his book of 1843 entitled A Compendium of British Mining, that the mine 'first made returns in 1834, with monthly returns of about 20 tons, which, owing to the low price of tin, does not pay the cost of working'. He also states that the mine was between 50 and 60 fathoms deep and employment at the mine was about 200 people in 1843.

Records show that the mine also had periods of good production, lead and silver was raised between 1855 and 1873, with a little also raised in 1903. Zinc was produced between 1856 and 1896 and tin produced from 1854 to 1912.

Now that 'World Heritage' status has been achieved Cornwall in Focus will monitor developments and learn how the mines of the Perranzabuloe District fare within the overall Mining framework.

For those of you with possibly a little more time to explore, once you've done 'the tourist bit', why not explore Cornwall's industrial heritage through its Tin and Copper Mines or learn more from my Cornish Bookstore