Cornish Mines and Engines at Pool is run by the National Trust. There are two sites of interest, both a part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site:

The first is Taylor's Shaft that houses a 90in, 52½ tonne Cornish beam engine and the Industrial Discovery Centre that includes an Audio Visual display located in the former boiler house and also offers a walk through the exposed brick boiler flue and chimney. It is situated behind Morrisons supermarket.

Across the road by Macsalvor's is Michell's Whim, a winding engine now operated by electric motor. There is a car park and small interpretation centre.

Geevor is definitely worth a visit as it has just been refurbished and a new Hard Rock Mining Museum opened and there is a short underground experience through the workings of Wheal Mexico. Levant is also a great place to go if you like steam engines, as is King Edward Mine Museum that has some of the last examples of tin dressing machinery left in Cornwall and an operational battery of Californian stamps that are fired up on special open days. I was amazed by the attempts to reconstruct a frue vanner when I called in earlier this year.

Also worth a visit is Poldark Mine in Wendron near Helston. Here you can get a trip underground through the workings of the C18th Wheal Roots - the geology is fascinating - especially so if you are fortunate enought to be taken round by Site Director, Richard Williams. The museum at the surface is also very interesting and houses a lot of the artefacts that once formed part of the Holman collection. There is also the Goonvean engine to inspect there.

Robinson's engine is not yet accessible to the public, but it will be the jewel in the crown of a new heritage centre that will be opened as part of the Heartlands Project. It will be a fine day in Cornwall to see this grand old engine working again, but not in steam alas.

If you're interested in china clay, then the Wheal Martyn China Clay Heritage Centre near St Austell is a must. Here you can see flat rods, once common on many Cornish mines, in operation.

Enjoy Cornwall, it's a fabulous place for mining heritage enthusiasts.

---

Cornish Pixie, thats fantastic info. Cornwall sounds amazing. Geevor & Levant especially. Thanks ever so much for all the great information folks.

if you can't find your way from Levant to Botallack via Geevor, you don't need a map, you need a guide dog 🙂

there are four engines complete in their houses in the county, three are in the Camborne area. Robinsons's shaft engine is not accessible and not conserved, it has simply never been dismounted since its last steaming.

the other two are near the Pool/Tuckingmill junction. One is right beside the road, you can't miss it; again, check when it is working ( this one is not in steam, I believe it is driven electrically ). The Levant one is the only one capable of steaming.

Five - don't forget Parkandillik (excuse dodgy spelling)

I think you have to arrange a visit to see the interior of Parkandillack engine house with its 50-inch engine that is run on air. I think the Trevithick Society fire it up once a year. I seem to remember that the iron bob has a dog's paw print on it!! Spitfire would know far more about this than me 😉

---

Contact information (opening times/steaming days etc) can be found on the SW England section of the Mining related museums page http://www.aditnow.co.uk/static/mining-mine-history-museums.aspx  here.
Would someone enter the Truro museum's details to the page please?

🙂

---

I'm not too sure if his what you want.http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/ 

---

you might also try contacting Tony at Rosevale Mine. Not a tourist mine, but I met him on a recent trip to Box and he is a real enthusiast. Rosevale is well worth seeing for someone who isn't familiar with the traditional Cornish style of working

---

Rosevale is at Zennor, itself an unspoilt village with an interesting church in Penwith. The mine was reopened by some return miners from the USA in the early C20th and has been developed like a working mine by a small group of enthusiasts for over 30 years. It's a gem, very authentic; I've been there on numerous occasions and was filmed there for Heroes of the Hard Rock, a TV documentary a couple of years ago.

http://www.rosevalemine.co.uk/ 

---

I visited Wheal Martyn for the first time last summer and was hugely impressed. It is definately worth a visit but allow a fair bit of time to take it all in.
Got talking to one of the blokes who helps run the place and he was saying that unfortunately they don't get enough bodies through the turnstiles, which is a shame. I suspect the proximity of the Eden Project may have something to do with this as given the choice of a day out the casual visitor will choose the latter given their high profile.

---