The Cornwall Mining Consultants team were recently invited to visit Rosevale Mine by our Associate Mining Engineer, Tony Bennett. Rosevale is an old tin mine located in West Cornwall and has been privately owned for the last 30 year’s by the Rosevale Historical Mining Society who have restored and preserved the entire mine so today, it appears to have been frozen in time! The only underground mine restoration project of its type in Cornwall, Rosevale forms an important part of Cornwall’s mining heritage and is truly fascinating to visit.
The focus of our tour was to gain an appreciation of the vast scale and nature of old Cornish mine workings from underground. The mine plans of Rosevale barely show the true extent of this impressive mine, which is very typical of older Cornish Mines and something Cornwall Mining Consultants are acutely aware of. However, experiencing this first hand was something else; climbing through the cavernous Old Men’s Stope before crawling on our hands and knees through an 18th century adit barely wider than beach towel was a truly unique experience made all the more intriguing by the simple fact most of it is unrecorded!! It is so well-preserved that it has drawn tv and film production companies including the BBC.
Tony’s insight into the mine was as fascinating as it was thorough; we learned a great deal about mining methods and the sheer challenge faced by those volunteers who have restored this mine. The Cornwall Mining Consultants team departed Rosevale muddy, slightly damp and with a new appreciation for what life was really like for the traditional Cornish Miner.