Tin, fish and chips

Tin mining has defined the history of Cornwall almost as much as fishing, smuggling and invading armies. The first evidence of mining in the area dates back to the height of the Bronze Age around 2050 BC. Originally the tin was found in alluvial deposits collected from local stream beds. However, as these sources were exhausted, miners began working the underground lodes that strife the local geology. The first such mines started production in the 16th Century, reaching their commercial peak in the 19th Century.


For almost a century the Cornish Tin Mining industry was one of the most productive tin mining areas in the world. At its height, more than 600 steam engines worked day and night to pump hundreds of mines dry. Water penetration was always a battle as many of the workings plunged to great depths or extended for several kilometres under the seabed. The decaying remains of abandoned pump houses, marked by distinctive brick chimneys, can be found scattered everywhere across the Cornish countryside.


While in Cornwall, Garry and I took time out to tour one of the lasting mines at Geevor. It closed in 1991, just months before the last Cornish mine closed nearby. In the intervening years the site has been transformed into a fascinating museum. We spent several hours wandering through the mine’s processing plants where ore-rich rocks were crushed, sifted, centrifuged and refined into sack of tin granules. We saw the powerful electric cable winders that lifted the miners and ore hundreds of metres below the surface, as well as taking a tour through one of the older, hand-cut mines dug into the rocky coast.


From Geevor we made our way to St Ives, heavily promoted as a picturesque seaside resort. We stopped here for a late lunch of fresh fish and chips, and a brief wander along the harbour front. Unfortunately the weather was against us and our outdoor plans were abandoned when rain began to fall. St Ives definitely had some pleasant scenic spots. Unfortunately we’d already seen other wonderfully preserved coastal villages like Mousehole. St Ives paled in comparison.