independent Cornish news and comment

Penwith: Geevor waterwheel and stamps restored

An 18 month project to restore and relocate an historic set of tin stamps and the waterwheel that drove them is approaching completion at Geevor Tin Mine Museum & Heritage Centre, the biggest mining history site in the UK.


The stamps – dating from the mid C19th - were removed from Locke Farm, near Nancledra, in 1983 by the mining company operating the Geevor mine at the time and then exhibited at the original museum. After years of neglect, the stamps have been restored and repositioned adjacent to a public footpath running through the centre of the Geevor site where they can be seen and enjoyed by all visitors – paying or non-paying. The next phase of the project will be to get the wheel to turn using water power.

The work was undertaken by Clive Williams Builders and Jerry Harvey Engineering of Pendeen. Both Clive and Jerry began their working careers at the mine. Clive Carter of Canonstown, who undertook the reconstruction of the wheel in 1983, advised on the project.

“We are fortunate to have local craftsmen who can undertake work like this and do it in a way that that respects the historic significance of the project. We have also been greatly helped by the input of the County Council Historic Environment Service and by English Heritage” said David Wright, Development Officer for Pendeen Community Heritage, the charity which manages the site for Cornwall County Council.

Funding for the project came from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the PRISM Fund for the preservation of scientific and industrial material, the Pilgrim Trust and the Cornwell Trust.

NB The attached photo shows the barrel being lifted into position.
End.

Notes for Editors.
The staff of Pendeen Community Heritage (PCH), managers of Geevor Tin Mine & Heritage Centre, work hard to ensure that the site is conserved and used in a way that serves the local community, such as providing educational opportunities for children and adults, working to promote other local businesses by joint working and providing discounted entry to visitors arriving by bus, helping to ease traffic volumes during the busy summer season. PCH also provides free parking, encouraging visitors to leave their cars at the site and explore the dramatic coastline of the far west of Cornwall on foot.

Geevor Tin Mine, located in the village of Pendeen, 7 miles west of Penzance, is open from Sunday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm all through the summer months. Underground tours run on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm each day. A Family Ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) costs £21.00

For further information please contact Mike Simpson of Pendeen Community Heritage 01736 788662 email: pch@geevor.com or visit the web site at www.geevor.com