Ding Dong mines facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ding Dong mines |
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Greenburrow pumping engine house
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| Type | industrial heritage, mine |
| Area | 500 acres |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
| Designated | 2006 (30th session) |
| Part of | Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape |
| Reference no. | 1215 |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 1988 |
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The Ding Dong mines are old mining sites in Cornwall, England. They are found near the town of Madron. These mines are about two miles northeast of the road from St Just to Penzance. From the mines, you can see Mount's Bay and St Michael's Mount. Since 2006, the Ding Dong mines have been a special UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are part of the larger Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Ding Dong" might sound funny. A book from 1936 by Henry R. Jennings says it could mean the "head of the lode." A "lode" is a rich vein of metal ore. It might also refer to where tin was found on the hill.
Jennings also wrote about a "Ding Dong Bell" in Madron church. This bell was rung to tell miners their shift was over.
A Long History of Mining
Near the Ding Dong mine ruins, you can find very old sites. These include the Bronze Age Nine Maidens Stone Circle. You can also see the Mên-an-Tol and Lanyon Quoit. These are ancient stone monuments.
The Ding Dong mines themselves are very old. They are thought to be the oldest mines in the West of England. Some reports say they date back to prehistoric times. This means they were worked even before written history began. The mine area was huge, covering over 500 acres. It had 22 tin lodes, which are veins of tin ore.
Mining in the 1700s
No one knows exactly when mining started at Ding Dong. The first written record of the mine is from the early 1600s by John Norden. By 1714, three separate mines were working there. These were called Good Fortune, Wheal Malkin, and Hard Shafts Bounds.
By 1782, there were 16 active mines in the area. The main Ding Dong mine was in the middle. Other mines nearby included Providence, Tredinneck, Ishmael's, Wheal Malkin, and Wheal Boys.
The Ding Dong mine became well-known in the 1700s. This was because of a legal fight over a new type of engine. An engine designed by Edward Bull was put into Ding Dong in 1796. Bull was a chief designer for Boulton & Watt. James Watt thought this engine copied his own "condenser patent."
In 1797, a Boulton and Watt engine was changed by Richard Trevithick and William West. Trevithick worked with his father at another mine. He made improvements to steam engines. Because of his skills, Trevithick became the engineer for the Ding Dong mine in 1796. Today, only the ruined Count (Account) House remains from Trevithick's time there.
The 1800s: A Busy Time
In 1813, the Ding Dong mine became one big mine. It combined 16 smaller mines from the area. The name "Ding Dong" became common after 1800. The mine reopened in 1814 and worked until 1877.
In 1823, the mine was digging for tin in granite rock. It was 400 feet above sea level. The deepest parts were 600 feet below the ground. About 120 men worked underground. They used 900 pounds of candles each month to see. The mine's pumps removed 50,000 gallons of water every day. Miners also used 300 pounds of gunpowder each month.
By 1839, the mine employed between 200 and 300 miners. The eastern parts of the mine ran out of tin by 1850. So, miners focused on the western parts. From 1855 until it closed, the mine produced about 2,905 tons of black tin. Even with 206 miners working in the late 1850s, the mine struggled to make enough money.
A new pumping house was built in 1865 at the Greenburrow shaft. An engine was moved there to pump water. There were two explosions at the mine in the 1860s. Three small blasts happened around 1860 when a flooded part of the mine was reopened. Another explosion in 1868 scalded two miners. A second blast happened two days later.
By 1870, production had increased. About 200 men worked at the mine. A new tin lode was found just before the mine closed in 1877. However, the price of tin dropped in the 1870s. This was because new tin mines opened in places like Queensland. Also, the local tin deposits were running out. Because of these reasons, Ding Dong mine stopped working on July 11, 1877.
From the 1900s to Today
In 1911, the price of tin went up again. A new company, Ding Dong Mine Syndicate, started working on the mine's waste piles. They installed special machines called "California stamps." From September 1912 to March 1915, they got 51 tons of tin from the ore. But metal prices dropped during wartime, and this work stopped.
Three more attempts were made to open the mine after that. The first failed because of water problems. The last two failed because local people did not want the mine to reopen.
Today, the Ding Dong Mine is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage site. The mine's engine house has been a Grade II listed building since 1988. This means it is a special historic building.
Legends and Stories
Mines often have interesting legends. During the time of Queen Victoria, the mine's chief agent told a scientist a story. Many people believed the mine was worked hundreds of years before Christ.
Another legend says that Joseph of Arimathea visited the area. He supposedly came with a young Jesus to talk to the miners. However, there is no proof for these beliefs. An old miner once told a historian, "They do say there's only one mine in Cornwall older than Dolcoath, and that's Ding Dong, which was worked before the time of Jesus Christ."
A folk song called "Ding Dong Mine" was written in 1986. It was created by a singer named Jerry Johnson. One part of the song talks about a disaster at the mine. But no official records confirm such a disaster happened. Johnson might have used his imagination to describe similar events in the area.
