Great South Tolgus

Tarewaste, Redruth, Cornwall, England, UK

The Great South Tolgus was a historic mine site in Cornwall which formerly produced copper and tin.

It is sometimes also known as the ‘Great South Wheal Tolgus’.

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As far as I can tell from maps and satellite images, the entire site and all of the ‘Tolgus’ mines are now completely reclaimed or overgrown. Perhaps some traces remain on the ground.

The mines in this area do not have particularly imaginative names; amongst the nearby mines were:

  • East Tolgus Mine
  • South Tolgus Mine / South Wheal Tolgus
  • West Tolgus Mine
  • Great South Tolgus Mine / Great South Wheal Tolgus (the mine this page refers to)

At the time this would have been a very obvious distinction, but now they’ve been under an industrial estate for decades, it does become a little trickier. A label referring to a specimen as ‘South Tolgus’ would be difficult to narrow down to a single mine.

A Royal Cornwall Gazette article of 23rd April 1847 reports an installation of an engine at the mine, and an archaeological report I found from the area seems to indicate the mine was operated by the ‘Great South Tolgus Tin and Mining Co’ between 1847 and 1871, and later, the ‘Tolgus Mines Ltd’ between 1919-1927.

 

 

Further reading:

 

 

 

 

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