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Summary

Powder magazine building (d) to the south of the ancillary buildings forming part of the 19th century Eylesbarrow Tin Mine

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021055: Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE260
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/27/40
• Old SAM Ref: 34467

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• POWDER MAGAZINE (XVIII to XIX - 1750 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Building shown on 19th century Tithe Map.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Small square building shown on 19th century map in the western corner side of an irregular shaped field.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157229 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 9th May 2002. Powder house 520 metres south-south-west of Eylesbarrow, forming part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. Building 3 metres long by 1.95 metres wide. It has mortared walls which are 0.5 metres thick and now stand up to 0.5 metres high. Interior and immediate surroundings are covered in loose rubble. Looks like it may have been built over the existing field boundary. May be open-ended. Grass, nettles and rushes.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 38, Figure 2 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Building (d) was a powder house positioned to the south-west of the ancillary buildings at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, Figure 2 (Article in Serial). SDV231130.

English Heritage, 2005, Survey Information (miscellaneous date) (Report - Survey). SDV345855.

Outline of two sides of the building shown on survey.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Spread of stone shown on aerial photograph.

English Heritage, 2013, Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains (Schedule Document). SDV231131.

The 19th century Eylesbarrow Tin Mine opened in 1814 and continued until 1852. During this time several companies were formed to run the mine and most failed to make a profit. Eylesbarrow's importance stems from its unrivalled array of 19th century mining remains making it the largest and most informative example of a large scale water powered tin mine in Britain. At least 27 shafts and five adits were cut to reach the tin lodes, seven whim platforms and two water powered engine wheels were built to power the lifting and pumping machinery, a series of tramways were made to carry the ore to six separate stamping mills and, to complete the picture, a smelting house was constructed to smelt the processed tin from the stamping mills. The size of the operation is further emphasised by the large number of ancillary buildings constructed to serve the mine. Amongst these are a count house, dormitory accommodation, blacksmith's shop, powder houses, sample house and various storage buildings.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 1300619 (Website). SDV355682.

A range of ancillary buildings sited near the centre of Eylesbarrow Mine, which operated between 1814 and 1852. The buildings are depicted and named on a map of the site dated 1825.The buildings are grouped in a complex, which spreads around the junction of the main Eylesbarrow track and the Wheal Katherine track. Two powder houses at Grid References SX 59856198 and SX 59816810 were positioned at the extreme east and south of the buildings complex. Both are small, the former has approximate interior dimensions of 1.6 metres. At some time in the late 1830s or early 1840s, some of the area around the building complex was enclosed to create several fields and a garden, totalling 2.5 hectares. The fields are recorded on the Tithe Apportionment and include arable and pasture and may represent some small-scale farming by captains and workers at the mine. Documentary reference to these enclosures is non-existent other than the Tithe map depiction.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WLK-DT36 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 19/9/2019. Building covered with grass, nettles and reeds. Overall condition very good. Photo taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, WLK-DT36 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo looking 030° showing grass and nettle cover.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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