19/08/2025
The Tin Coast, Cornwall: Botallack and Levant Tin Mines.
The two crown engine houses at Botallack opened some time before 1724. The houses worked in unison, the lower engine house pumped water from the mine and upper one provided wind power. It’s amazing to think that mining tunnels reach about 400m out to sea, and the mine shafts as deep as 500m. It really highlights the hazards of tin mining, and the importance of finding tin, copper and arsenic.
Botallack Tin Mine closed in 1814. This was mainly due to the falling price of tin and copper, eventually leading to the Cornish mining industry collapsing.
