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Summary

Shaft number 26 forming part of the 19th century Wheal Katherine Tin Mine

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021056: Wheal Katherine, 235m west of Plym Ford, forming an outlying part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine
• SHINE: Earthwork remains of tin streaming and trial pits at Wheal Katherine Mine

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/213/6
• Old SAM Ref: 34468
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE SHAFT (XVIII to XIX - 1750 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Shaft shown as a circular earthwork on 19th century map.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157294 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 15th May 2002. Shaft 400 metres west of Plym Ford, forming part of Wheal Katherine tin mine. A very sharp sided pit measuring about 4 metres deep. Grass, heather and rushes. Dump extends all around the shaft, but is mainly on the southeast where it is flat topped and stands 2.5 metres high. Heather, bilberry and grass.

Newman , P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 13, Figure 4 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Shaft number 26 at Wheal Katherine is one of at least six shafts at the mine. This shaft is situated just outside the streamworks on the western side of the mine.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, Figure 4 (Article in Serial). SDV231130.

English Heritage, 2005, Industrial Survey Information (Report - Survey). SDV346396.

Feature shown on survey.

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

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

The final form of mining at Wheal Katherine is represented by five particularly large pits called shafts and an adit. These would have been dug to reach the tin ore below the depth accessible by openworks and lode back pits. These features probably belong to the 19th century extraction phase. Ore extracted from these shafts and adits would have been processed in the stamping mill and associated dressing floors. The stamping machinery would have sat next to the large stone faced wheelpit and the dressing floor survives as a series of linear and rectangular hollows in the area south of the stamps. Two reck houses in which the tin was further refined survive towards the southern edge of the dressing floor. The final product from this processing area would have been black tin which would have then been transported elsewhere for smelting.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 1063881 (Website). SDV355682.

Remains of a tin processing works at Wheal Katherine which formed part of Eylesbarrow tin mine set and was operational until 1856. An archaeological field survey in 1994 located a structures including a stamping mill, dressing floors and buddles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.