Crowan Mining District - Wheal Treasury

OS Explorer Map 103: Grid reference SW628294

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Wheal Treasury, also known as Wheal Treasure, lies just under two miles southeast of Gwinear. The sett includes Drewollas Mine, Wheal Maid, Wheal Penny and West Wheal Treasury.

Worked from 1815 to 1870, the mine raised 12,000 tons of copper and 1,490 tons of tin. Lodes included: Wheal Treasury Lode; Drewollas Lode; Treloar's Lode; Moor Lode; White Cap Lode; Engine Lode; Hick's Lode; North Lode; Wheal Penny Lode; Lambo and Engine Lode; New Lode and Wheal Jane Lodes.

There are over 20 shafts present, with the main ones being: Wheal Maid; Emmon's; Edwards'; Hasleton's; Harvey's; Bull's; Dunsford's; Bates; Stonegate; Middle West; Coulson's; Fields; Pressure; Carne; Penny; Whim; Blewett's; Paul's; Proctor's; Parry's; Swaine; Painter's; Mackay's, Vivian's and Williams' Shafts. Their traces can still be seen on Gwinear Downs and Burnt Downs.

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