ROSEVALE MINE
Welcome to Rosevale Mine - a unique privately-run Cornish mine restoration project.
Set in a beautiful and unspoiled rural location overlooking the sea near the village of Zennor, Rosevale Mine forms a unique part of the county's mining heritage. This privately funded restoration project has been undertaken over the past 40 years by a small group of volunteers using traditional methods and materials to preserve the underground workings as an authentic Cornish tin mine.
J. R. Liefchild (1857) quoted:
"Truly, a great Cornish mine is a sub-terranean monument of human industry and perserverance".
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Rosevale was never one of Cornwall's great mines, but it does remain one of the only complete examples of the underground workings of a Cornish mine. One of the main objectives of the Rosevale Mine project is to preserve an important part of Cornwall's industrial heritage by restoring the underground workings to a similar condition when the mine last worked during the 1910s. A longer-term aim is also to consolidate the remains of the dressing floors. This is not about producing a static museum, its about creating a realistic environment with the authentic feel of a working mine. The mine is equipped, with the intention of retaining examples of some of the traditional skills of Cornish mining. There is no short-term or long-term commercial objective; the mine does not produce ore and is not a tourist mine. For this reason, the project has been reliant on private funding - see funding.
The former tin mine was last worked prior to World War I and remained abandoned until the early 1970s when it was taken on by the West Cornwall Mines and Minerals Club as a restoration project. The aim has been to undertake restoration in a way that balances the necessity to work and operate the mine within modern safety requirements with the need to retain the authenticity of the original workings, without unnecessary sanitisation. Although occasional visits can be arranged for specialist groups to see the mine and the workings can be used for research studies or as a filming/recording venue, the project remains a hobby with limited financial resources relying on private funding and there is no commercial objective. The overall objective is to preserve an aspect of Cornwall's industrial and cultural heritage for future generations.
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The question we get asked most often is "why do it?" - we each do it for our own reasons.
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The mine, which is held under a lease agreement with the local land and mineral owner, is on private property. Access to the mine and into the underground workings is private and restricted. For further information about the mine - contact.
For a member of the team to give a talk/presentation about the mine - contact.
Headlines:
Mark Jenkin films the music video for The Smile's new song
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March 2021
Commence clearance of the old winze in No.2 Level.
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The clearance of the collapsed deads material in No.2 Level is completed. Almost 300 tons removed.
The start of the Covid-19 lockdown puts activities on hold
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The clearance of the remaining collapsed deads material out of No.2 Level commences.
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Photograph courtesy of the National Monuments Centre © Crown copyright NMR
Video produced by:
John Simmons, David Harrison and Sam Turner