Castles on the rocks

One of out favourite places to visit are the ruins of the Crowns engine houses at Botallack.

The lower of the two houses was built in 1835 to pump water from the mine. The higher engine house was built in 1862 to provide winding power for the Boscawen Diagonal Shaft which ran out under the sea.
Men were carried up and down the shaft in a gig, a purpose-built, wheeled box, which was also used to raise ore.

The Prince and Princess of Wales rode the gig during their visit in July 1865, two years after a terrible accident caused by the gig-chain breaking, in which eight miners and a boy were killed.
(They must have been made of strong stuff in those days!)

The tin mine closed in 1895
It reopened again, several times and in the 1980's there was an attempt by Gevor mine to re open the Botallack workings and link them with Gevor.

The site is designated Scheduled Monument and owned by the National Trust.
Walking round this peaceful site on top of the wild cliffs it is hard to imagine that at the peak of the mining the cliff tops would have been full of the noise of crushing machinery and the bustle of miners, bal maidens and children going about their daily tasks.

In tunnels over a mile long, many fathoms under the sea the miners worked with hammer and " picker"in very narrow "stopes". Work which was hard and dangerous. In those days mining was the life- blood of the St Just area, and hundreds of families depended on it.

We then went on to have a look round the Levent Mine, which was really interesting, especially seeing the huge Beam engine working.
I couldn't believe how quiet the huge machine was.

Now to make tea. A beautiful whole turbot from Newlyn!
We are certainly making the most of the fish down here!

Oh and a very Happy St Pirans day to all Cornish blippers!!

More photos on my blipfolio see here