Great Flat Lode Trail - Tour of Dolcoath

Although not actually on the Great Flat Lode in its strictest sense, Dolcoath does lie on the Great Flat Lode Trail - a 7.5 mile circular route taking in the majority of the remaining mining buildings of the general Camborne-Redruth area centred on Carn Brea.

Dolcoath lies on the southeastern fringe of Camborne and a visit to the general area of its former mining sett makes for a rather interesting short walk. The best place to park your vehicle would be at New East Shaft and to walk the mile long circular route in a clockwise direction. The engine house at New East shaft housed a rotative beam engine as well as a pumping engine to provide water for Dolcoath Stamps and the ore-dressing floors. The beam engine was replaced in the 1890's by a steam winder and the building itself was converted to an electricity substation in 1913.

Look east across the valley to the metal headframe on New Cook's Kitchen shaft - part of South Crofty Mine. Down in the Valley just to the east of the footbridge of the Red River lies Eastern,or more aptly, Valley Shaft. Behind that lies the modern grilled archway to the Tuckingmill Decline - see South Crofty - marking the boundary between the former Dolcoath Sett and Cooks Kitchen Sett.

The trail passes the main Paddington to Penzance railway line just beside Brea embankment before following the road up Carn Entral to Williams's shaft. This shaft named after the company's chairman, Michael Henry Williams, commenced sinking on 26th October 1895. It had a diameter of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 metres) and took seventeen years to complete. It encountered the exceptionally rich Main Dolcoath Lode at a depth of 412 fathoms (2472 feet) and when complete was 575 fathoms deep. In modern day terms this equates to 3450 feet; 1078 metres or over two-thirds of a mile deep...For many years the deepest mine in the world. Your walk now takes you downhill to the recently refurbished Harriet's Pumping Engine house with its surroundings opened up for recreational walks.

Pause a while here to read the inscribed circular table with its memorial to 'All Cornish Miners'. There is a narrow track leading off between the engine house and the large building to the right - the former Miner's Dry or changing room. This narrow track runs alongside the railway line and leads eventually to Stray Park mine - an optional detour.

From Harriet's follow the obvious track back to New East Shaft Winding Engine house. En route you will pass the granite plaque for Wheal Harriet Shaft as well as the less obvious plaques marking Dunkin's Footway Shaft (No. 042/056) and Dunkin's Garden Shaft (No. 042/055). Enter the field containing Bennett's and Old Sump shafts as well as three markers to un-named shafts.

Continue up the slight rise past Old Sump Shaft to the Compressor House at New Sump Shaft and return to your vehicle.

A History Of Dolcoath Mine

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