Cornish_Mining_summer_2014

Cornish Mining Newsletter Summer 201417Managing the day to day deliveryof the project are the conservationconsultants PWH of Barnstaple whichhave also undertaken an extensivetotal station measured survey of thewhole Wheal Busy site prior to thecommencement of works. Beyond thefeatures receiving attention here isa largely heather and gorse coveredlandscape of some 24 hectares (60acres) in extent, containing over70 shafts, numerous spoil tips,the remains of a processing worksand arsenic calciner, dating fromc.1908, and boiler and process waterreservoirs.The preparation phase of the projecthas included the commissioning of adetailed archaeological study of thewhole site in additionto ecological surveysto assess the natureof the flora and fauna,with particular regardfor rare bryophyteand bat species.These reports will beused to inform thebuilding conservationand to ensure thisis undertaken withdue regard forthe site’s ecology.Archaeological andWorld HeritageSite advice isbeing provided byCornwall CouncilSenior Archaeologists Ann Reynolds,Colin Buck, and the author, and atthe time of writing (early August)the vegetation clearance had justcommenced and the chimneyscaffolding erected.This project follows the successfulconservation of three engine housesand a chimney at the Wheal Virgin sitewithin the Wheal Maid Valley near StDay, last year. Here Natural EnglandHLS funding to a total of £270,000 wasused to conserve some of the oldestCornish engine houses within theWHS, this figure also covering the fullcost of the works. Darrock and BrownLtd., now known as Heritage CornwallLtd., undertook the conservation andto a high standard.For Wheal Busy, the specialistconservation builders KingstonConstruction Ltd. have secured thetender to undertake the sensitiverepairs. Within Natural England,the case officers Beth Tonkin andHugh Tyler are delivering the HLSagreement, and with Simon Leather,Tregothnan Estate Senior Agent, areto be thanked for their considerableinput and support in bringing thisproject into being.While much will be achieved throughthe HLS funded project at Wheal Busy,there remain other features in needof attention which are unfortunatelybeyond the scope of the currentscheme, including the early twentiethcentury arsenic calcining plant. TheOne of the two impressive cast iron lintels above entrances to the Smithy, anticipatinggood fortune for the mine in 1872 which unfortunately did not materialise; the mine wasto close again by the end of July the following yearforemost of these additional features,however, is the mine Smithy; thisextensive workshop building (ListedGrade II), the main range of whichmeasures some 30m by 13m, is thelargest of its type in Cornwall andDevon, and formerly contained theforges which fulfilled the mine’smetal working and tool sharpeningneeds. Dating from the reworking of1872, the Smithy is thought to be anadaptive reuse of the earlier Miners’Dry and Pitmans’ House, and retainstwo distinctive cast iron door lintels.Manufactured by the Williams’ PerranFoundry - the Williams family weremajor shareholders in the mine atthis time - these impressive featuresproclaim ‘Great Wheal Busy Mines’,with the date ‘1872’ at the centre.These convey well the confidenceand pride of the management in theirnew undertaking. The Williams familyheld extensive mining interests acrossCornwall and beyond, and as Williamsand Co. were instrumental in pursuingcopper and pyrite mining at theTigroney - Cronebane mines in Avoca,Ireland, from 1832. The Williams familythrough Williams Foster and Co.were also a driving force behind themighty Morfa copper smelting worksat Swansea (1835-1880), described asbeing the largest non-ferrous metalsmelter in the world by the midnineteenthcentury.The Wheal Busy Smithy has sufferedfrom underuse for many years and inrecent times has deteriorated badlywith its scantle slate roof failingin large sections.Though the HLSfunding cannotunfortunatelybe extended toaddress the costlyconservationchallenge posed bythe Smithy, estimatedto be in excessof £500,000, theproject has includedthe preparationof a conservationmanagement planwhich is availableto inform futureinitiatives.The Wheal Busy project is an excellentexample of a partnership deliveringmuch needed conservation withinthe WHS. The Cornish Mining WorldHeritage team is hoping that theincoming Natural England ‘NELMS’programme (the New EnvironmentalLand Management Scheme and theeventual successor to the current ESS)will facilitate further consolidationwork in the future.This article was prepared withreference to the Wheal Busyarchaeological assessment preparedby Cornwall Council SeniorArchaeologist Colin Buck on behalf ofPWH Surveyors Ltd:Buck, C. (2013) Wheal Busy Mine,Chacewater, Cornwall: Sections of aConservation Management Statement