squirrel
  • squirrel
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12 years ago
Has anyone ever produced a definative map showing the location of EVERY single engine house in Cornwall? ! 😉
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
Dunno, are we talking intact/bits thereof or every one that ever existed but might not still be around.

Lozz.
squirrel
  • squirrel
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12 years ago
Nope - thinking in terms of any remains that you can see today. Just planning my next holiday - I have even convinced the missus that engine houses are fascinating. In a train spotter kind of way I would like to visit as many as I can in the next few years!
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
I wouldn't know the number of surviving remains but there are a lot.

Lozz.

(Edit: Many will be on private land)
spitfire
12 years ago
There are about 300 remains in one state or another.
spitfire
agricola
12 years ago
It shouldn't be too difficult for me to prepare a map, and even better if we combine our efforts, to ensure that all locations are marked.

I will if the rest of you will help with locations prepare a map.

What do you think ?
If it can't be grown it has to be mined.
spitfire
12 years ago
Fantastic idea.
spitfire
squirrel
  • squirrel
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12 years ago
Great idea. I reckon people would be prepared to buy a map - I certainly would. It would be great on my wall and help plan the next adventure!
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
This would certainly be a useful tool, something handy that could be kept in the car. As well as the collective information on here don't forget the historic environment records which are searchable via the heritage gateway, admittedly variable in nature and probably not as detailed in some cases as the collective knowledge on AN but certainly a good place to start for info for plotting out standing remains. As pointed out in Lozz's post there's likely to be a fair proportion (most!) that are on private land, I'd suggested that some sort of indication of accessibility & approachability (the owner) is a must, as has been pointed out innumerable times in the forums access has been endangered or even lost all for a bit of fore-thought or courtesy 😢
Morlock
12 years ago
Dolcoathguy
12 years ago
The challenge will be the heavily ruined ones overgrown by gorse not always evident on Google earth. I guess this are in a minority but I can think of one or two. On the other hand these may not of much interest if there no much to see. There was a map driven database showing all shafts, engine houses etc in certain "heritage areas" run by the County council 2 or 3 years ago but now not where it used to be. If this could still be accessed then that would save some effort. Perhaps someone in the records offices has access to it offline?
Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?
stuey
  • stuey
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12 years ago
There are many more than you think, and many more than people like Ham Jenks recorded.

We were poking around Par Consols the other day and found some pretty impressive ruins of a pumping engine house (biggun) on one of the main shafts (choked). They are hiding everywhere.
Graigfawr
12 years ago
A good many will be listed and/or scheduled and most of the remainder should have been recorded by the county archaeolgical trust.

Try consulting the county archaeological trust's Historic Environment Record (most are online these days with free access) and English Heritage's Sites & Monuments Record (ditto).

Those two resources may list most of the surviving engine houses. It'll give you a huge head start when compiling your list.

May save you reinventing the wheel...
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
"stuey" wrote:

There are many more than you think, and many more than people like Ham Jenks recorded.

We were poking around Par Consols the other day and found some pretty impressive ruins of a pumping engine house (biggun) on one of the main shafts (choked). They are hiding everywhere.



You'll be unsurprised to hear Stuey that there are people in their 80's who've lived in Par all their life that didn't know it was there even though it would've been highly visible at one time, being practically on top of the hill! Considering the neglect its amazing how much of the structure can still be read, right down to the depressions where the boilers were; unless there's been a bit of landscaping since my last visit 'ome...did you find the lumps and bumps from the engine house just off the path from half way up the hill that leads round to the old clay dry just behind the skew bridge at the harbour gate - not a great deal to see on first look apart from a chimney base and a lot of clinker if you start grubbing about in the undergrowth
agricola
12 years ago
"Graigfawr" wrote:

A good many will be listed and/or scheduled and most of the remainder should have been recorded by the county archaeolgical trust.

Try consulting the county archaeological trust's Historic Environment Record (most are online these days with free access) and English Heritage's Sites & Monuments Record (ditto).

Those two resources may list most of the surviving engine houses. It'll give you a huge head start when compiling your list.

May save you reinventing the wheel...



We have friends in CAU, i'll have a word with them. There a quite a number of engine mentioned in Leans along with mines they were on, should also help.

Don't want to reinvent the Wheal :o

Perhaps as we are all computer literate to a degree you are reading this, then it might make more sense to produce a google maps version. Now we can colour the pins according to some system which I haven't thought of yet to include all engine houses which exist or no longer exist and perhaps their function to. What do you think ? Answers on a postcard to ...
If it can't be grown it has to be mined.
Roy Morton
12 years ago
RE inventing the Wheal.....? I thought that was what you are helping to do in your day job 😉 :lol:
"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"
agricola
12 years ago
Thank you Roy ... 😉
If it can't be grown it has to be mined.
tomh
  • tomh
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12 years ago
Darran,

Have you ever found the metal lined shaft by the railway line in the vicinity you mentioned?

IIRC there is the base of an engine house going up the mount that has a building on it now.

There are tons of old engine houses around
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Tom,

I know of it but its said to be inside the NR boundary and so haven't seen it myself. I had a couple of friends from from my Bodmin & Wenford days whoose day time job was on permanent way with Railtrack as was; nothing to see was their reply, but I'm not convinced of the location being correct. I suspect a looks needed at old GWR route plans; I believe now held by NRM with NR having digitsed everything and passed the originals on, next time I'm in York (a fairly regular occurance) I'll investigate.

Yes, lots on the Mount, what with the one on North's, trucated remains on Merediths (the chimney was a known bat roost) - I think that's the one your refering to, stamps engine etc.
tomh
  • tomh
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12 years ago
The HJ map marks a rough location, I have also cross referenced it with the HJ book and still cannot find it.

The mount is an interesting area, also an accident waiting to happen as I have heard how some of the 'capping' was done.

Yesterday near the crinnis railway arch we found a shaft not far on the golf course, covered with mesh - looks interesting.
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