Pendeen Consols Mine

Grid reference SW381359

Pendeen Consols Mine was situated just east of the Pendeen Watch Lighthouse some 1.5 km northeast of the village of Pendeen and almost 4 kilometres northeast of St. Just. Little remains of the former copper and tin mine now as former structures now lie under the lighthouse, built 1900, and its car park. To the south lies the sett of Boscaswell Downs Mine about 1.4km away. Parts of the mine worked under the sea with some lead found amongst the tin and copper deposits, with part of the underground section of the mine also being accessed by Geevor mine some years later. The major lodes of this mine were Main Lode, Terris Lode, Portheras Lode, Lead Lode and Great Pendeen Lode with the following recorded shaft: Engine Shaft.

Records show that copper was produced between 1858 and 1871 with its best year's production being in 1861 when it raised 1653 tons of copper ore at a value of over £6000. Tin production is reported between 1862 and 1870 with its most productive year being 1864 when 57.8 tons of Black Tin valued at £3766.

Information taken from and copyright of Roger Burt in his excellent book Cornish Mines: Metalliferous and Associated Minerals, 1845-1913 (Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom, 1845-1913).

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