With our head office in Cornwall, we are frequently called upon to assist with projects just across the border in Devon including mining searches and investigations. It often surprises clients to discover that historic mining activity isn’t exclusive to Cornwall, both counties are rich in a variety of metal ores and much of Devon was a hive of mining activity and much of the county was mined until the 20th Century.
For the most part the metalliferous mining was clustered around the fringes of the great granite mass underlying wild and windswept Dartmoor. These ancient deposits of tin, copper, lead and zinc were formed on the fringes of this granite mass as it rose slowly from the depths, sending superheated water, loaded with metalliferous elements, outwards into the country rock. Where this water cooled in the fringes of the granite mass, the metalliferous elements leached out and formed the mineral lodes that were later exploited in mines around Okehampton, Tavistock, Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey to name but a few.
Our extensive mining archive contains detailed records and plans of mines extending far along the north Devon coast, including Bideford and South Devon, along from Salcombe to Brixham and up towards Exeter. These precise Devon mine records are often called upon to provide accurate reports and information for local authorities, utility providers, major infrastructure projects as well as new geo-technologies. We are also often required to carry out mining searches in Devon as well as slope stability and geotechincal services. In addition, there is the occasional call for a mundic block test in Devon too, a problem many often believe was confined to Cornwall. if you own property or land in Devon, or are buying a property in Devon and require a mining search or would like more information about how we can assist you, please contact us.