South Caradon Mine

Caradon Hill, St Cleer, Cornwall, England, UK

South Caradon Mine was once one of the largest copper mines in Cornwall, worked from around 1833 to 1890 approximately.

Mining in this area originally began as exploration for tin, and ‘tin streaming’, before a rich lode of Copper was struck in 1833.

This northern lode was eventually worked by the Sump shaft, Pearce’s shaft, and Engine shaft.

Sometime before the mine closed, a series of smaller lodes were found to the south, called Clymo’s, Jope’s, Kitford’s, and Holman’s, as well as ‘Caunter lode’.

By 1846 the mine was connected to the canal network by railway and it became one of the largest mines in Cornwall, but falling copper prices caused serious issues for the mine.

By 1883, the machinery was old and in need of refurbishment, and this another venture lasted a brief while but was not able to bring long term life to the mine.

Various dates are given for the mines closure so I have omitted them from this page as I can’t be sure which are accurate. Best guess, the mine closed around 1880-1890.

 

Very extensive remains are still visible on the surface nowadays, including the ruins of dressing floors, engine houses, and waste dumps. The waste dumps are still picked over by collectors in search of minerals.

Some or all of the site is a scheduled monument.

 

Further reading

 

 

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