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Summary

Devon Mine, depicted and marked as a copper mine on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map, is visible as earthwork banks, mounds, ditches, pits and structures on aerial photographs and on images derived from lidar data captured in 2007 and 2013.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1105780: COLLACOMBE COTTAGES

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47NW/9

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COPPER MINE (XVIII to XIX - 1701 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

1907, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242726.

D6 devon. Plans. R 120 f - m. R. O. Copper, zinc. "devon mine (disused)" marked on os 6" (1907) map (os).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242729.

Ramsden, j. V. /tda/84(1952)92 fig.1/notes on the mines of devonshire.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242730.

Collins, j. H. /observations on west of england mining region/(1912).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242731.

Des=os 6" (1907)105nw.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242732.

Nance, r. W. M. + nance, r. D. /a survey of engine houses on the mines of south devon, in p. Newman (ed) the archaeology of mining and metallurgy in south-west britain/(1996)109-122/copy in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242733.

Exeter archaeology/objective 5b: lower tamar valley recreation and land management initiative cultural heritage down farm, lamerton/(1998)3/ea report 98.20.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242734.

Nance r. D. /project design for a survey of engine houses on the mines of south devon/(1996)/in smr.

Nance, R. W. + Nance, R. D., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV271163.

Vis=-/8/1996 (nance + nance) a prominent bob wall marks the site of the copper mine of collacombe down. Containing a large brick-arched plug door that is likely to have served as the cylinder opening, the wall is that of a pumping engine house thought to have housed a 40 inch engine. The engine house faces s and probably had a single boiler on the e side, and a separate stack (nance + nance).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV79.

Vis=-/3/1998 (ea) there is a disused copper and zinc mine to the w of down farm at collacombe down. This mine is on the n fringes of an extensive mining area in the tamar valley known as the devon great consols, the richest copper mines in europe in the 19c, with workings extended over an area of 160 acres including arsenic production (sx47sw/504) (exeter archaeology).

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

The mine is depicted.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 03-FEB-2007 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

Earthwork banks, mounds, pits and ditches are visible.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2001-2002, Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records, RAF CPE/UK/2149/F20/3272-4 (Interpretation). SDV346287.

A series of earthworks of trackways, spoil heaps, ditches and banked features and structures are visible on aerial photographs and interpreted as a post-medieval industrial complex.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

Earthwork banks, mounds, pits and ditches are visible.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2016, Backlog Recording of the Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Survey (Personal Comment). SDV359374.

The earthworks and structures transcribed as part of this survey are clearly associated with Devon Mine and likely of modern date. The extent of this mine and its boundary with Wheal Conquer to the west, is not clearly demarcated on historic mapping and so has been polygonised according to an ‘extent of area’ mapped by this survey. Industrial features which may be associated with this mine, but fall outside of this area have consequently been excluded from this record. Only part of the photo reference is given in the transcription attributes, so the date of the photograph is not known.

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.

The earthwork remains of Devon Mine are visible as pits, mounds, ditches and banks on images derived from lidar data captured in 2007 and 2013. They include shafts visible as circular pits of 7 to 15 metres diameter, irregular spoil heaps and a bank around what appears to have been a pond at circa SX4340677193, as well as less defined features whose purpose it was not possible to ascertain from the lidar data alone.
The transcriptions of this site need to be viewed in tandem with the transcriptions from the earlier NMP project (SDV346287), because many of the features that were recorded from aerial photographs are not visible on the available lidar imagery. Where features are more clearly visible, or more accurately locatable, on the lidar imagery these have been re-transcribed, so there will be some overlap.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6911 - Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme
• 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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