Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Yes, I have to say I wouldn't want a static home up there, there was a big fall around 1985 when half the adventure playground went on a trip underground...since built over 😮

Plenty on the cliff and golf course around Crinis, beware of golf balls and Brend Hotels green keepers :surrender: however since there's two rights of way and the coast path through it...there's a capped or in filled shaft 🔗http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=50.339277&lon=-4.715945&z=20&r=0&src=msa[/link] get the right angle from the coast path and you can see a very tempting adit at the base of the cliff, probably choked though, would need a canoe or possibly a bit of SRT to investigate!

Any how we're getting a bit :offtopic: within the wider Par/St Blazey valley area I can think of ten sites off the top of my head with standing remains, from bumps to the complete article...
TheBogieman
12 years ago
And don't forget the Cornish Engine Houses elsewhere in the UK...

I've got one less than half a mile from my house and it's recently had it's chimney rebuilt - the Pearl Engine Shaft on the Parys / Mona Mine sett here on Anglesey.

Also the engine house still holding a 60" Holman built engine at Dorothea Slate Quarry in the Nantlle Valley. Sadly, although this engine house is a scheduled monument, access to the site is through someone else's land and he objects to anyone gaining access for conservation work or opening it to the public so it is slowly fossilising...

There's also several over in Flintshire associated with the Halkyn Mountain lead mines, also at Minera near Wrexham where one of the engine houses has been restored and houses a museum to the Minera lead mines. Externally it has a beam which bobs up and down working a pump - but this is hydraulically driven and inside there is no engine... It's a good place to visit and you can see restored buddles and other remnants of times gone by.

BFN

Clive B
Explorans ad inferos
lozz
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12 years ago
http://mapping.cornwall.gov.uk/website/A2M/ 

Is the link to the historic cornwall gis mapping. Once the map is up you will have to zoom in quite a lot to enable the highlighted features (two tick boxes on the RH side)

Lozz.

(Edit: Once zoomed in tick the SMR and the Archeological Sites boxes to start off with)
Dolcoathguy
12 years ago
Thanks lozz this is the one I was referring to that went offline or moved.
Although the areas are limited, It is very useful, not 100% sure what source data they have used, but this database would be great if it covered ALL of cornwall 😉
Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?
lozz
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12 years ago
"Dolcoathguy" wrote:

Thanks lozz this is the one I was referring to that went offline or moved.
Although the areas are limited, It is very useful, not 100% sure what source data they have used, but this database would be great if it covered ALL of cornwall ;D



There was another one covering the WHS sites showing in my area the locations of chimney remains etc, it doesn't seem to be accessible now, it used to be accessible via the cornish mining website before they changed it all to those silly poxy website colours/format, the maps are still shown for the respective WHS sites but when I clicked on them nothing happened on my PC.

Lozz.
Graigfawr
12 years ago
"TheBogieman" wrote:

And don't forget the Cornish Engine Houses elsewhere in the UK...



David Bick listed all the significant remains of Cornish Engine houses in Wales in an article in Industrial Archaeology Review, vol.12, no.1, 1989. He listed all that had their bob walls intact or had comparably full remains; thus very ruinous engine houses such as Llanfyrnach Lead Mine, Pembrokeshire, were excluded (this one has further collapsed since the 1980s). He listed 39 throughout Wales. Of these, one (Pwll Colliery, Llanelli) was demolished shortly afterwards. Most, if not all of the ones he listed were, if not already protected, listed or scheduled after publication of the article and a number have been repaired, most due to the efforts of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust. I have only found one that he missed: the pumping engine house at Gorsgoch Colliery, between Cross Hands and Gorslas, Carmarthenhsire, which has three walls standing full height although the bob wall has either collapsed or been demolished.

Cornish engine houses were never hugely numerous at Welsh metal mines (due to cost of transporting coal to them, and the cheapness of water power) but they were built in considerable numbers at Welsh collieries. Unfortunately most colliery Cornish engine houses in Wales have been demolished, some as a result of ongoing plant replacement at nineteenth century collieries that worked into the twentieth century, and others due to the 'wipe the slate clean' land reclaimation policy of the Welsh Development Agency and many Welsh local authorities in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Dolcoathguy
12 years ago
"Dolcoathguy" wrote:

Thanks lozz this is the one I was referring to that went offline or moved.
Although the areas are limited, It is very useful, not 100% sure what source data they have used, but this database would be great if it covered ALL of cornwall ;D



The useful bit comes from clicking on info for a site and getting the links to the CAU (Cornwall arch. unit) or other reports, which go into much greater detail on specific sites. But shame about the WHS database
Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?
agricola
12 years ago
Still looks like we might have some work to do which hasn't been done. I've been looking at the CAU database and leans engine reporter which lists over 100+ engines on mines some of which the engine houses no longer exist. I will start to put some of these on to google when I get a chance.
If it can't be grown it has to be mined.
Ty Gwyn
12 years ago
"TheBogieman" wrote:

And don't forget the Cornish Engine Houses elsewhere in the UK...

Scotts Pit near Llansamlet is well known,

Bryn Gwyn Colliery ,Bedwas,is described as an Inverted Cornish engine house,
What exactly does that refer to?

stuey
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12 years ago
Since they are publicly funded, I'd like to see all the CAU material put online as PDF files.

Having to go and ask to go "out the back" at the studies library is a bit excessive.

They have done some VERY good work.
Dolcoathguy
12 years ago
According to Cornish-mining.org.uk (the World Heritage site) there were thought to be over 3000 Engine Houses built in Cornwall and West Devon, reading through this I get the impression this maybe based on the number of Beam engines made and guessing how many were exported, but it doesn't say this directly.

Another recent publication (April 2013) on their site details the management plan for the Heritage sites (Old mines mainly), I have yet to wade through it, but here is the link:
http://www.cornish-mining.org.uk/sites/default/files/Cornwall_and_West_Devon_Mining_Landscape_World_Heritage_Site_Management_Plan_2013-2018.pdf 

I Agree about the CAU reports, the one on Harriet Shaft, Dolcoath gives good detail about the shallow tunnels they found and possible directions for these based on trenches and bore hole data.


Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?
stuey
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12 years ago
The CSL has about 40ft of CAU booklets/publications.

Among the most interesting are the shaft capping documents relating to the 1990 onwards capping programs. Sadly, operation Minecap which was really extensive destroyed multiples of remains and plugged the unknown as well as the known.

Talking of my other thread, I recall reading somewhere that there was a first for Watt up at Hallenbeagle which was on "engine shaft" and the base of that engine house (different to the one shown on the 1880 25") is still there. CAU have done nothing up there, which is odd, considering the CCC are involved heavily.

Perhaps they might have found something which would have put the brakes on their plans.....
Graigfawr
12 years ago
"Ty Gwyn" wrote:

"TheBogieman" wrote:


Bryn Gwyn Colliery ,Bedwas,is described as an Inverted Cornish engine house,
What exactly does that refer to?



http://www.wcms.org.uk/cgi-bin/wcmsarchive.pl?archid=cccp_jh_addingtonpump_apr1973 


A bit like a Bull Engine but with a full size beam rather than being directly connected to the pump rods. There's a drawing of a Bull Engine on this page:
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Life_of_Richard_Trevithick_by_F._Trevithick:_Volume_1:_Chapter_4 
Dolcoathguy
12 years ago
"stuey" wrote:

The CSL has about 40ft of CAU booklets/publications.

Among the most interesting are the shaft capping documents relating to the 1990 onwards capping programs. Sadly, operation Minecap which was really extensive destroyed multiples of remains and plugged the unknown as well as the known.

Talking of my other thread, I recall reading somewhere that there was a first for Watt up at Hallenbeagle which was on "engine shaft" and the base of that engine house (different to the one shown on the 1880 25") is still there. CAU have done nothing up there, which is odd, considering the CCC are involved heavily.

Perhaps they might have found something which would have put the brakes on their plans.....




One first from Watt at Hallenbeagle is easily found online
http://himedo.net/TheHopkinThomasProject/TimeLine/Wales/Steam/JamesWatt/Kelly/Watt.htm 

A 52inch double acting inverted unit in 1795. Is this what you were thinking of?
Is it safe to come out of the bunker yet?
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Seem to remember that being mentioned in D.B. Barton's work on Cornish engines, well overdue a reprint (never had my own copy!), although perhaps it would be a tad expensive given the likely limited circulation.

CAU, absolutely, they did a great deal of good work during the 80s & 90s, I was lucky enough to meet John Smith while I was working on an undergrad project about Luxulyan Valley for uni, came across as an enthusiast as well as a professional...funding, familiarity with the subject and political will have a lot to answer for the increasing lack of engagement over the past couple of years!
Ty Gwyn
12 years ago
Thanks,Graigfawr and Dolcoath.

I presume the reason for the large arch at the base of the engine house is for this type of engine?

Bryngwyn started 1865/66,good photo on Welshcoalmines,Collieries,Gwent,Bryngwyn
Graigfawr
12 years ago
The beam at Bryngwyn is believed to have been 'L' shaped (and to have functioned somewhat akin to an angle bob as the engine pumped a slant) with the pivot point located outdoors and the up-stand of the 'L' furthest from the engine. Quite why the arch was so large is unclear, as is the great height of the building. Maybe there was a change of design and/or of engine?

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