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Summary

Whim engine house at Brookwood Mine, a copper mine which operated between 1845 -1885, latterly under the name of South Devon United mines (1878-1885).

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX76NW69
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1431387

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENGINE HOUSE (Constructed, Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Nance, R. W. + Nance, R. D., 1996, A Survey of Engine Houses on the Mines of South Devon, 109-22 (Article in Serial). SDV241746.

Newman, P., 2005, Brookwood and Wheal Emma Copper Mines, Buckfastleigh, Devon: An Archaeological Survey (Report - Survey). SDV359199.

(30/04/2005) Whim engine house at Brookwood Mine (SX 76 NW 51), a copper mine which operated between 1845 -1885, latterly under the name of South Devon United mines (1878-1885). The ruined engine house would have contained a beam engine to power winding equipment for hoisting ore and other materials up and down the shafts at Brookwood Mine. The building is slightly south of the main area of activity at Brookwood. It is not close to any of the shafts but probably provided hoisting in Engine shaft 48m to the north west though why the building is not sited closer is unclear. The house has mostly collapsed though enough of an outline survives to interpret what remains. The building is oriented south west to north east with the stack attached to the south-west exterior and the winding apparatus on the north east. The bob wall does not survive but the estimated interior dimensions of the engine house would be 5m by 3.6m wide. The hotwell is visible on the exterior of the bob wall, approximately 1.85m square. The crankshaft loading, also on the exterior of the bob wall, consists of a stone platform 4.7m by 2.9m raised above the ground by 2.3m. Crow holes forming a cross passage underneath the platform can be accessed via a 0.63m-wide ground-level opening at the front. The timber supports for the platform and the lintel of the opening are still in place. Adjacent to the south of the platform is a 0.74m-wide flywheel pit and a 1m wide by 3.4m long drum pit. A series of recesses exist at ground level within the drum pit, each with timber lintels. The interior of the engine house is filled with tumbled masonry but the edge of a probable cylinder loading is just discernible. The door opening is on the south-west corner of the building and ground-floor window openings with brick reveals are visible in the north, south and west walls. The circular stack, built against the south-west corner of the house, is mostly collapsed, though survives to 5m high on the engine house side. A small 0.8m high by 0.58m wide flue opening is visible at ground level on the western exterior of the stack. It has an arched top and is lined with brick. The top section of the stack is known to have had brick embellishment, sections of which lie on the ground to the north of the building. Only one long wall and one end wall of the boiler house survive but from these remains its dimensions can be established at 14.5m by 4.5m. It has remains of one window in the eastern end.
Mine surveyed at 1:1000 and described in detail. Sketch survey and description.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6840 - Survey of Brookwood and Wheal Emma Copper Mines (Ref: AI/01/2005)

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