The post Godolphin Mine appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>Just north of Godolphin Cross and across the road from the main house is the scant remains of some old workings. Hidden in the woods are dips, ditches and overgrown shafts, the only remains of Godolphin Mine.
Records for the area started in the 1600’s, but the mine definitely predates this. The Wheal Dolphin section was bringing up copper and Godolphin was already 90 fathoms (165m) deep; in 1788 it already had a steam engine. In 1790 Wheal Dolphin closed before being absorbed into the main Godolphin sett in 1804, helping to share the removal of water for the benefit of both mines.
1821 saw the addition of Old Mine and was employing over 480 people ten years later. In 1836 both setts were taken up by Captain Teague who spared great expense, roughly £40,000 (£2,712,052 today), to install new engines, however, despite hitting a rich lode the mine closed in 1846. This closure didn’t appear to last long as by 1849 a new shaft was being sunk for a Sim’s engine. From 1861 Godolphin was worked alongside New Great Work, incorporating lodes to the south, but running costs and low tin prices made profits elusive and the mine came to an end.
Godolphin Mine had a large number of shafts, many of which remain unnamed.
Bridge Engine (80 fathoms/146m), Pearce’s (80 fathoms/146m), Simm’s, Boundary (55 fathoms/101m), New Engine, Stephen’s (40 fathoms/73m), Robert’s (25 fathoms/46m), North Boundary, Bennett’s North (51 fathoms/93m), Burgess (45 fathoms/82m), Spargo’s (25 fathoms/46m), Dog’s (25 fathoms/46m), Goodman’s (42 fathoms/77m), Bennett’s South/Richard’s (60 fathoms/110m), William’s (80 fathoms/146m), Cock’s (70 fathoms/m), Meager’s (70 fathoms/128m), Ford’s, Engine (70 fathoms/128m), Tyack’s (53 fathoms/97m), Mollard’s/South Boundary (20 fathoms/37m), Polglase (53 fathoms/97m), Ivey’s (55 fathoms/101m), Brown’s (40 fathoms/73m) and Deaken’s (40 fathoms/73m).
Lodes include Orchard, North and South New Discovery, North and South Godolphin Adit, Wheal Dolphin, Hemming’s and Bawden’s.
Output varies depending on source. The first five are Reynold’s.
1781-83 Wheal Dolphin: 86 tons (87,380 kg) of copper
1800-04 Wheal Dolphin: 512 tons (520,216 kg) of copper
1800-04 Godolphin: 7,209 tons (7,324,682 kg)
1805-19 Godolphin: 12,305 tons (114,107,148 kg) or 8,386 tons (8,520,569 kg) of copper
1838 Godolphin: 1,602 tons (1,627,707 kg) of copper
1815-18, 38-40 and 45-47 (Dines): 8,425 tons (8,560,195 kg) of copper and 10 tons (10,161 kg) of tin
For a mine that once had some many engines at work, if anything remains it’s been long buried in overgrowth. 1786 saw the erection of a 48″ Boulton & Watt pumping engine from Wheal Crenver and by 1808 there were five engines and two water wheels at work, one of which may have been a 63″. In 1819 three whims were put up for sale. Prior to 1840, there were two 80″ pumping engines, a 36″ pumping engine, a 24″ stamps and 16″, 18″ and 24″ whims recorded.
The whole mine can be accessed from the public footpaths through the woods, however none of the shafts have been properly capped and many remain buried under dense undergrowth, so don’t stray. The Counthouse is still in place and is used by the National Trust.
There is a line of other shafts loosely associated with this mine on the path up to Godolphin Hill from the NT car park.
There is a small parking area at the north-west entrance of the woods, alternatively the National Trust Godolphin car park is within walking distance.
Dines, H. G. (1956) The metalliferous mining regions of south-west England. British Geological Survey.
Hamilton-Jenkin, A. K. (1965) Mines and Miners of Cornwall: XI Marazion, St Hilary & Breage. Truro: Truro Bookshop.
Reynolds, A. (2000) Godolphin and Great Work. Available at: http://map.cornwall.gov.uk/reports_event_record/2000/2000R039.pdf (Accessed: 30 June 2020).
The post Godolphin Mine appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>The post Godolphin House & Gardens appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>On the eastern side of Godolphin Hill, sits the ancient Godolphin estate and gardens.
The first house was built here in the 13th century for Alexander Godolghan, a man made rich through land and mine ownership. This was then demolished in 1475 by then owner John Godolphin and a new house was erected; this had two courtyards and part of this build included the now mostly gone Great Hall. The entrance for this would have been on the western side of the house.
In 1537 under Sir William Godolphin building works continued, with the main entrance being moved onto the northern side of the house, a feature that can still be seen from one of the courtyards. Two new towers were erected with a gatehouse in between. Over the years, more was added bit by bit to the estate until 1785 when it passed to Thomas Osborne, the 4th Duke of Leeds, who married into the family. Running costs were high and significant parts of the house, including the Great Hall and Range, were demolished and the stone repurposed while parcels of land were sold off.
The family seldom visited the estate, but kept it as it featured promising mining land, and in the meantime it was used primarily by farming tenants. In May 1909 the 10th Duke of Leeds came to visit, making this only the second time a member of the family had stopped here since their ownership. The tenants pooled their money to buy a Silver Greyhound to present to him, however when the main Duke of Leeds seat Hornby Castle was sold to help pay off substantial debts, it went missing and was never seen again.
The substantial north range with its imposing columns.
In 1920 the estate was put up for sale, and the current tenant Mr Treloar, a mining engineer, bought it. However, he died two years later and his wife put it all up for sale the following year. A family of farmers named Penna, who then sold it again in 1935.
The Undercroft and Kings Room.
Again, this ownership didn’t last long and by 1937 it was now in the hands of Sydney Schofield. It was under his care that significant restoration began on the house and gardens, with the family working hard for 70 years. Following his death, his widow Mary (nee Lanyon), sold the estate to the National Trust in 1999, and then in 2007 at age 91 sold the house and garden as well.
The Kings Garden with the former house door blocked out on the right.
The house and gardens are owned by the National Trust and require a ticket to enter.
There is a small paid car park near the house.
National Trust (2018) ‘Signs at Godolphin’.
National Trust (2020) A special visit to Godolphin. Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin/features/a-special-visit-to-godolphin (Accessed: 8 July 2020).
The post Godolphin House & Gardens appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>The post Great Work Mine appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>Perched at the southern base of Godolpin Hill is the the remains of Great Work Mine, with its beautiful 60″ engine house and its unique telescope stack.
An old mine, Great Work was probably already underway in the 16th century. In 1643 a mine in the area was producing copper under the name Godolphin Bal, although this may have been its northern neighbour.
The engine house with its extensive bracketing.
It was at this mine that Thomas Epsley first introduced blasting into Cornwall in 1689, hailing the beginning of a new method of mining. However, despite this improvement the price of tin dropped, making the mine too expensive to run. It soldiered on, closing in 1793 before being revived in 1810 as a major copper producer. This reworking saw over 400 people being employed for most of the century, although underground work did grind to a halt in 1873.
The mines wonderful telescope stack.
Between 1890 and 1902 it was briefly worked as Old Great Works and again as South West Cornwall Mines from 1907 to 1912.
Leed’s shaft on the left and Burnt Whim on the right.
In 1927 the mine was attempted again with neighbour Wheal Reeth, but this only lasted ten years.
Yet another team had a look in 1935 as Great Work Tin Mines Ltd; they began to unwater the Deepark shaft section, but quickly turned their attention to their attention to higher levels and allowed the bottom to flood again. Work stopped for a final time in 1938.
The base of some other machinery hidden in the bushes.
Leed’s (160 fathoms/293 m), India (73 fathoms/134 m), Cooper’s (49 fathoms/90 m), Pay-my-debt (66 fathoms/121 m), Trehayle (99 fathoms/181 m), Payhouse (83 fathoms/152 m), Mollard’s (83 fathoms/152 m), Dudda’s (83 fathoms/152 m), Blow (100 fathoms/183 m), Crane (170 fathoms/311 m), Pensandane (50 fathoms/91 m), Goodfortune (170 fathoms/311 m), Deerpark (180 fathoms/329 m), Blue Dipper (74 fathoms/135 m), Pool’s, New Barker’s, Planner’s, Bank, Chain, Wheal Breage, Wheal Kine, Barker’s, Richard’s, Highburrow, Pennack’s, Fire Engine (50 fathoms/91 m) and Burnt Whim.
Main, Wheal Reeth, Middle, Wheal Breage and South Wheal Breage.
The remaining engine house on the mine belonged to the 60″ pumping engine on Leed’s shaft, built in 1835 by Harvey’s and Co of Hayle. In 1857 it was rebuilt, again by Harvey’s. It’s first engine house was another pumping engine of unknown size which came from Ludgvan-Lees Mine in 1754. There was also a pumping engine on Fire Engine shaft by 1768 and two sets of stamps at work during the same period.
Remains of buildings from a later reworking.
Output for the mine between 1832-40 and 1848-1902 is 6,256 tons (6,356,389 kg) of black tin, 1,020 tons (1,036,368 kg) of 7.5% copper and 2 tons (2,032 kg) of arsenic.
Access to the engine house and other remains around Leed’s shaft is free to access.
There is a small free carpark just next to the engine house.
Dines, H. G. (1956) The metalliferous mining regions of south-west England. British Geological Survey.
Hamilton-Jenkin, A. K. (1965) Mines and Miners of Cornwall: XI Marazion, St Hilary & Breage. Truro: Truro Bookshop.
Nance, D. and Brown, K. (2014) A complete guide to the engine houses of West Cornwall. Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press.
Reynolds, A. (2000) Godolphin and Great Work. Available at: http://map.cornwall.gov.uk/reports_event_record/2000/2000R039.pdf (Accessed: 30 June 2020).
The post Great Work Mine appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>