Wendron Mining District - Godolphin Mine

OS Explorer Map 103: Grid reference SW599324

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Godolphin Mine lies threequarters of a mile southeast of Townshend and was also known as North Great Work. The mine worked a number of copper and tin lodes including North New Discovery Lode, worked from Bennett's North, Boundary, Burgess, Robert's, Spargo's, Dog and Stephens' shafts; North Godolphin Adit Lode, worked from Goodman's, Bennett's South, Ford's, Bridge Engine, Pearce's and Meager's Engine shafts; South Godolphin Adit Lode, was worked from Tyack's, Mollard's (South Boundary), Polglase's, Ivey's, Brown's and Deaken's Shafts. Other lodes were Wheal Dolphin Lode, Hemming's Lode and Bawden's Lode.

Output from the mine was 8,425 tons of 9.5% copper ore for the years 1815-1818, 1838 to 1840 and 1845-47. 10 tons of black tin was raised in 1839.

Thomas Spargo paints a different picture in the mid-1860's as he reports in his book 'Statistics and Observations on the Mines of Cornwall and Devon' (1865) that Godolphin Mine was '... In Breage, (being a small portion of the ground of the old rich mine of that name) is almost idle; there being only 2 men at work. There is no machinery on the ground. The old mine during the first working gave about £90,000 profit'.

For more information on production dates and so on please see Roger Burt's excellent book Cornish Mines: Metalliferous and Associated Minerals, 1845-1913 (Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom, 1845-1913) or what is widely regarded as the mining enthusiasts bible by H G Dines - The Metalliferous Mining Region of South-West England: Vols I & II (Economic Memoirs).

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