The Mines of Gwennap - West Wheal Jewell

OS Explorer Map 104: Grid reference SW726422

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The sett of West Wheal Jewell lies just to the southwest of St. Day near the hamlet of Tolcarne near Lower Ninnis. The mine, also known as Tolcarne Mine or North Wheal Damsel. The sett includes West Wheal Gorland (also known as Roselobby). West Wheal Jewell was mainly a copper mine, also producing a little tin and dating from about 1830. The mine worked several lodes including Cocking's and Roselobby Lodes. West Wheal Gorland's lodes included Middle, North, South and Green's Lode. The main shafts were Roselobby, Dottam's, Tregonning's, Quarry (Engine) Shaft and Old Engine Shafts.

It produced 12,580 tons of 7% copper ore between 1831 and 1852. It was renamed North Wheal Damsel in 1852 and closed some time after 1874. Notable minerals included Uranite and Pitchblende.

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).

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