hi all, this if my first post on here (or any forum so please bear with me lol) I was in the woods just off Pontsmill towpath where there are very old clay settling tanks that are split into 3 tiers. when I got to to the top tier I came across a mineshaft which has a small hole next to it I was just wondering if anyone on here had any idea what mine this shaft was part of or if anyone has explored this shaft? also with reference to the small hole, it seems to go very deep and has a brick collar, and has a cool breeze coming out of it which I found quite odd. this is where the shaft is:https://zoom.earth/#50.368436,-4.712443,18z,sat

Very near to Prideaux China Clay works, could be part of St Blazey Consols?

very possibly, I was quite surprised by how close it was to the clay works and the fact that its not capped. might head back over on the weekend and have another look around see if I can find some engine remains

Can you get some pictures?:flowers:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ZgDFydBZLcMXlHWWsybDZhY00 
and this is the small hole next to it that i mentioned:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_ZgDFydBZLcQW1nQnhqOElsVkk/view 

Thanks, interesting pics. Someone on here may know more about the area.

The Cornwall Archaeological Unit surveyed the valley fairly thoroughly in 1987 and published a detailed treatise "The Luxulyan Valley" a year later. The following is based on that treatise.

If the clay settling pits you mention are the ones reached by walking along the narrow gauge railway from the main Ponts Mill works; then they are part of Prideaux Wood kiln built in the 1870s.

On the hillside above are open gunnises and shafts of the lodes west of South Prideaux Wood mine which is mainly located immediately beyond the railway behind Ponts Mill works. Concentrations of shafts and gunnises on these lodes "may represent the location of East Eliza Mine and possibly Fowey and Par United" but the report doesn't specifically show any shafts in the settling ponds area (well, not easily visible at the scale of the plans in the report) though there are two locations of something in the area immediately above and to the left of the settling pits. Shafts?

So, in line with the actual use of the site then it may be the "shaft" and other hole are related to china clay transport from the pits up the valley (Eden?) rather than mining. But conversely the site may have been used for mining purposes prior to the clay use and there may be adits/shafts related to that.

I would suggest you contact the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (assuming it still exists) and see if they have either a copy of the Luxulyan Valley report available (worth having to explain lots in that valley) or if they can provide enlargements of the plans of the immediate area.

Apologies for being a :smartass: but whatever you do be very careful around open gunnises and shafts in heavily wooded areas if you do go exploring.;( The report mentions someone called Edgar Sutton as an expert on the area.

btw there's some sort of engine house at South Prideaux mine itself - apparently a Water Engine was installed - and a horizontal steam winder - the boiler house of which survives to a degree.

Thanks for your reply, yes the shaft is immediately above and to the left, I twas thinking that it maybe be linked to the pits somehow it could have had a pump there for pumping slurry into the tanks from the pits, and I was in prideaux woods the other day and saw the gunnises and yes the area is incredibly dangerous off the path especially this time of year when the vegetation is so over grown I certainly won't be venturing off the path, I will deffinately keep an eye out for engine house remains next time I'm up there though as I didn't see any last time.

Hi gents,

If it's of any help to the OP I believe the referenced CAU report is available on the cornwall council interactive mapping website, I seem to recall scanning through it during on of my interactive map report binges!