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Summary

Lopwell Mine, one of three small lead mines worked in the 19th century on the west side of the River Tavy.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX46NE/529

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE (XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Site shown on 19th century map with a 'Shaft' and two structures to the west of a track with a spoil heap to the south-east.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Site shown on early 20th century map with several buildings, earthworks and a 'Shaft' on the west side of the River Tavy. Map object based on this Source.

Ordnance Survey, 1907, 111SE (Cartographic). SDV242025.

Ordnance Survey, 1954, SX46NE (Cartographic). SDV343929.

Evidence of mining activity in Rhodes Wood and Blindwell Wood shown on 1954 map on the west bank of the River Tavy. 'Old Level' is shown at SX47416567. Possible opencast sites and spoilheaps are also visible.

Richardson, P. H. G., 1992, The Mines of Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley after 1913, 139 (Article in Serial). SDV323598.

Lopwell Mine in an area examined after 1913 without being worked or prospected.

Buck, C., 1998, Preliminary Assessment of Industrial Sites of Archaeological Importance in the Tamar Valley, 59 (Report - Assessment). SDV336795.

Lopwell Mine (Wheal Maristow) for silver and lead. Other details: Site 80B.

Buck, C., 1998, Preliminary Assessment of Sites of Archaelogical Importance in the Tamar Valley, 54 (Report - Assessment). SDV241750.

Visited on 9th March 1998. Part of Lopwell Mine (Wheal Maristow). Large shaft with substantial square stone collar wall. Stone possibly robbed from nearby rectangular rock-cut, which may have sited engine house. Nearby mine building (smithy?) with intact south gable and side walls, overgrown with vegetation but stable. Other details: Site 42B.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-APR-2019 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

Mounds, depressions and platform areas are visible as earthworks.

Ordnance Survey, 2009, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV341569.

Map object based on this Source.

Newman, P., 2011, Mining in the Tavy Valley, West Devon. An Assessment of Archaeological Potential, 38 (Report - Assessment). SDV347105.

Newman comments on the confusion among previous authors regarding the locations and relationships of Lopwell, Maristow and Wood Mines, three small lead mines on the west bank of the Tavy. The problem is not helped by the fact that although the mines are shown on the 1884 Ordnance Survey map they are not named. However, an undated abandonment mine plan of Huel Maristow Mine shows it to be the southernmost of the three at SX47126491. Lopwell is to the north centred on SX4747 6525 and Wood is the northernmost centred on SX4770 6612. The three mines collectively represent attempts to work the Maristow Lead Lode. Very little documentary evidence has surfaced for Lopwell Mine but it is possible that it was initially an independent sett later worked alongside Maristow. The remains of the mine are situated on private land but potentially include evidence of shaft, spoilheap, structures and processing sites. Other details: No. 17.

Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project) (Interpretation). SDV363945.

Mounds, depressions and two platform areas are visible as earthworks at Lopwell Mine on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2019.
An approximately square depression circa 13 metres across corresponds with a mine shaft depicted on historic maps (MDV43153). A small circular mound circa 6 metres across is visible immediately adjacent to the mine shaft and is interpreted as a spoil heap. Both earthworks are situated within an approximately rectangular platform area which corresponds with an enclosure depicted on historic maps and may have supported structures associated with the mine.
Two further depressions, one square and one oblong are situated to the immediate south-east of the mine shaft. It is possible one of the earthworks may correspond with a small rectangular enclosure or structure depicted on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch Second Edition map. The depressions are situated within a platform area which corresponds approximately with an enclosure depicted on maps from the mid-20th century. This is interpreted to be of modern origin and has not been transcribed.
A circular mound circa 17 metres across corresponds with a depicted mound earthwork to the north of the mine shaft and is interpreted as a spoil heap.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8345 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M) (Ref: ACD2380)

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