Cornish Mines & structures
The tin mining industry was at its height in 1870, at which time Cornwall was a world leader. Sadly it was not to last. As the price of tin dropped it became too expensive to mine any longer and as tin was discovered in places Like New Zealand, Cornwall started to lose its miners as the emigrated. Over the next 50 years tin mining would decline and never recover.
Although mining continued to scrape a living, disputes over pay and conditions would eventually spell the end for the tin industry in Cornwall. A brief revival during the second world war was not enough to sustain the industry. At its height there were something in the region of 2000 tin mines in Cornwall but for the last 40 years of its life only one mine managed to continue and in 1998 the last mine at South Crofty closed its shafts.
Traveling around Cornwall today one can find hundreds of ruined pump houses and engine buildings, not as one might think a blot on the landscape but actually a welcome part of Cornwall's rugged and coastline. The granite walls and tall chimneys of a once thriving industry now integrated into what makes Cornwall such a beautiful County.
I for one am fascinated by the old ruins and love to photograph them as I do the other stone monuments left as a reminder of a bygone age. They stand as photographs on their own or as part of a wider landscape. I hope you agree.
When it comes to buildings in Cornwall the old mines certainly dominate the landscape. There are many structures that make up the landscape in West Cornwall and some of the walls are hundreds of years old, if not older. I am not sure how true it is but I was told that the land boundaries go back to the stone age. I love looking at the dry stone walls, they way they are constructed and the effect that the years have had on them.
Priests Cove, which can be found in Cape Cornwall, is a fascinating little place. Obviously still used as a fishing cove, it is littered with wooden buildings and fishing boats. The sun sets over the sea here and you will often find people sitting on the rocks watching the sun go down. Its beach is mostly stones which have been washed smooth, the water enhances the many colours and when the warm evening suns hits them it is quite beautiful.
At Marazion you will find St Michael's Mount and it is another haunt of mine. The sand dunes at the top of the beach is a great place to sit and watch the light change on the Mount as the sun sets, the fences need some repair work but as they are they make nice images curving across the sand.