also known as: Beer Alston Mine and in conjunction with South hooe it was also known as South Tamar Consols between 1820 and 1821 only.
worked from the western most of the two Bere peninsular lodes. in the early 1800s the silver content at South Tamar ran at 40 to 90oz to the ton, the mine reopened in 1846 and within a year Cowie’s Shaft was 90 fathoms deep and was Worked for 1/2 mile under the river in the lower levels.
“In 1851 output rose to 80 tons in December and in 1854 all levels were producing well.
On 31st august 1856 the river broke in to the mine through a clay filled fault and the lower levels were immediately flooded. Fortunately the ingress took place on a Sunday when the mine was deserted and there was no loss of life. For some time a number of schemes were proposed to recover the mine and the broken ore lying in the lower levels. It is said that Isumbard Kingdom Brunnel was called to the mine from work on the Saltash Albert Railway Bridge. But in December the mine was abandoned without hope of restarting”
A.K. Hamilton Jenkin
“Engine shaft is sunk to a depth of 146-fm on the 15 degree east underlie. The majority of the work extends to the south. Glynn’s shaft is 100 yards of Engine and connects at the 70, 80 & 90-fm levels.
The silver content is said to have been 80-120oz per ton in the upper levels down to 35-40oz pre ton in the lower levels.
Recorded output as South Tamar Consols are 1849-60 7140 tons of 64% lead ore and 350 tons fluorspar. In 1852-60 262470oz silver.”
Dines H.G. 1956
today the site consists of an extensive tip under the electricity lines on the river bank together with several filled shafts (and one open for about 20 feet going to adit level only) and the base of a stack, There is a further tip and a chimney beside the road further north again at Cotts by the public foot path on the boundary between the South Tamar and Furzehill setts.
the adit level is accessible vir a locked gate (the key is obtainable from lower birch farm) thismeanders in a north-westerly direction for About 200M. and flooded along the entire length to a depth of about 2 feet, draining into the Tamar. At about 50m the adit crosses another shaft which is not apparently open to surface. Thereafter the adit constricts and ends after 10m in a collapse.
Description by ferret