The Caradon Mining District - Glasgow Caradon Mine

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Glasgow Caradon Mine, formerly known as Tokenbury Mine and also Yolland Consols, is located threequarters of a mile southeast of the summit of Caradon Hill and lies on the southeastern slopes. It was bounded by South Caradon Mine to the southwest and East Caradon Mine to the northwest.

The convoluted name of the mine came from the fact that the Secretary was Mr. David Dunlop of Glasgow and also the success of nearby South Caradon Mine. Every new venture in the area ensured that from the mid nineteenth century, they all had the word 'Caradon' in their titles, in an effort to raise that little extra from potential investors. The mine worked three main lodes: North Lode worked from Dunlop's Shaft, Harvey's lode worked from Elliott's Shaft and Caunter Lode.

Glasgow Caradon Consols produced 37,500 tons of 7% copper ore between 1864 and 1884.

Joseph Yelloly Watson wrote about Tokenbury mine in his book of 1843 entitled 'A Compendium of British Mining' that it was '... in Linkinhorne, nearly adjoins South Caradon, to the south, and has lately been set to work, the cost to the proprietors, 128 in number, has been £2,560. The run of the lodes is from South Caradon, east to Tokenbury; in some parts of the mine the granite is overlaid by killas. The adit levels were commenced in killas, and are now in granite ; more than a mile of backs of lodes, have been laid open, and a little copper discovered near the surface'.

Some years later, Thomas Spargo, the mining historian, wrote in his book 'The mines of Cornwall and Devon: Statistics and Observations'in 1865, that Glasgow Caradon '... (late Tokenbury), in St. Ive, Cornwall, in 30,000 shares. Secretary, Mr. David Dunlop, Glasgow. Manager, Captain William Taylor, at the mine. Landowner, John Elliott, Esq., banker, Liskeard. Dues, 1-15th. Depth of adit, 5 fathoms; depth below, 75 fathoms. Rocks, granite, clay-slate, and elvan. 64 men, 9 females, and 3 boys employed. Pumping-engine, 40- inch. Winding and crushing-engine, 24-inch.
Mineral sold in 1864: 702 tons of copper ore sold for £2,652 0s 0d.

The works commenced about 4 years ago in the western part of the sett, to which their present operations are confined. Although, up to the present time, they have sustained a small loss, the prospects are highly encouraging for the future'.

Now that 'World Heritage' status has been achieved Cornwall in Focus will monitor developments and learn how the mines of the Caradon Mining 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