Wheal Jenkin, Caradon, Cornwall

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jhluxton

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Though I have driven past Wheal Jenkin, situated on the northern slopes of Caradon Hill near Minions Village, it is many years since I have had a mooch around the site. However, I stopped last month for a good mooch around and for my first visit to the site with a digital camera.

First a bit of background history.

Established (as a tin mining site worked by shallow shafts and an adit) when it was taken up in 1824, and worked by the Cornwall Great United Mining Association (London) between 1836-7.

A steam engine was erected at Wheal Jenkin in October 1836 to work 40 head of stamps, and 21 heads of new water-stamps were also under construction to handle the ore from the Cornwall Great United Mines.

In the 1870s Wheal Jenkin it was acquired by the Marke Valley adventurers or the adjoining Marke Valley Mine. In 1881, the mine was re-opened as part of Marke Valley Consols Mines Ltd. Working for tin, the former Whim shaft was re-opened as Bellingham's shaft, and, in 1886, the Holman's shaft (South Caradon) 70" engine was re-erected in a new engine house.

The mine closed in 1890 and there are no records of any attempt to re-prospect the lodes during the early years of the 20th Century. The Liskeard and Caradon Railway passes through the site.



An interesting view of the site through the assorted power and phone lines which serve Minions village.



Window detail of the stamps engine house



Foundations of the flywheel loadings of the stamps engine house



Stamps engine house



Stamps engine house and stack



Second hand 16in cast iron Rising Main used as a passage under the Liskeard and Caradon Railway track bed for a flatrod drive from the Stamps Engine to pump from Bellinghams Shaft in use between 1882-1886.




Bellinghams Shaft Engine House



In recent years the shaft collar at Bellingham's Shaft has run in revealing material dumped into the shaft.



Bellingham's Shaft PumpingEngine House

More photos from April 19, 2017 at: http://www.jhluxton.com/Industrial-Archaeology/Mines-of-Devon-Cornwall/Wheal-Jenkin/

Some photos of previous visits;



Stamps Engine House 1979





Bellingham's Shaft Engine House 1986

Photographs of the site in the 1970s and 80s can be found here: http://www.jhluxton.com/The-35mm-Fi...n/Wheal-Jenkin-Marke-Valley-Consols-Cornwall/

John
 
Last edited:
Nice that, amazingly similar to Magpie mines up the peaks...one of my first reports!

Not been to Magpie but I have seen photos of it - it has a classic "Cornish" engine house not quite so common outside of the South West of England though such engine houses are in the odd place in the UK as well as Ireland, Mexico and Australia, Isle of Man - usually places where Cornish miners emigrated and had influence on engineering decisions.
 
I love old industrial sites like this, even though there isn't any machinery I could still feel the vibe of the place from your lovely photos, thanks!

Minions village...have the locals got fed up of tourists lookin for the tiny folk or did they sensibly cash in on the craze:tongue:
 
I love old industrial sites like this, even though there isn't any machinery I could still feel the vibe of the place from your lovely photos, thanks!

Minions village...have the locals got fed up of tourists lookin for the tiny folk or did they sensibly cash in on the craze:tongue:

They did change the road signs temporarily but they changed them back a while ago, though not everyone thought they should.

John
 

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