King Edward Mine facts for kids
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| Location | United Kingdom |
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| Coordinates | 50°12′14″N 5°16′16″W / 50.204°N 5.271°W |
| Website | www |
 Location of King Edward Mine
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The King Edward Mine is a historic mine located in Camborne, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is currently owned by Cornwall Council.
Back in the late 1800s, students at the Camborne School of Mines needed a place to learn practical mining skills. The local tin mines were struggling and not very modern. So, the school decided to create its own underground mine for teaching. This way, students could get hands-on experience.
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History of King Edward Mine
South Condurrow Mine Era
In 1897, the Camborne School of Mines took over the eastern part of the old South Condurrow Mine. This area included an engine shaft (a deep hole for lifting things) and allowed students to explore two important mineral veins, William's Lode and the Great Flat Lode, down to 400 feet deep.
The mine didn't need water pumps because all the water naturally drained into the nearby Grenville mine. Between 1897 and 1906, the mine was completely updated with the best mining and ore processing (tin dressing) equipment of the time.
New buildings were put up, including a modern plant for processing tin, a survey office, workshops, and classrooms. The old offices (called the Count House) and changing rooms were kept. The mine even produced tin regularly, employing 10-20 workers plus the college teachers. Students did much of the actual mining work. In 1901, the mine was officially renamed King Edward Mine.
New Ore Processing Methods
Cornish mines were often slow to use new machines for processing ore (ore dressing). This was due to old traditions and a lack of money. Most processing plants just let the crushed rock settle in long channels. Workers then had to dig it out for final treatment using buddles and kieves, which was slow and inefficient.
Dolcoath Mine was one of the most advanced mines. It was one of the first to use Californian stamps (machines that crushed rock) around 1892. Later, it added vanners and shaking tables (machines that helped separate the valuable minerals). The mill at King Edward Mine was one of the first in Cornwall designed from scratch to use this new, efficient equipment.
Great Condurrow Mine Era
Great Condurrow Mine, also known as Pendarves United, stopped working in July 1881. In 1921, after a period of economic difficulty, the nearby Wheal Grenville mine closed. This caused King Edward Mine to flood.
Mining operations for the school then moved to a smaller part of the adjacent Great Condurrow Mine. This section was above the natural water level, so it didn't flood. As mining education became more technical, the old tin processing machines were replaced with smaller, pilot-scale equipment.
By 1974, this pilot plant moved to the new Camborne School of Mines campus at Trevenson. The original mill complex at King Edward Mine, including the mill, stamps, engine house, boiler house, and calciner (a furnace for heating ore), was mostly empty and no longer needed for teaching.
King Edward Mine Museum
In 1987, a group was formed to turn the mill complex into a museum. Their goals were:
- To protect the buildings and the site, which are very important historically.
- To put the mill back into working order using old equipment that had been saved.
- To create a small museum telling the story of King Edward Mine, the local "Flat Lode" mining area, and how tin was processed.
- To save and preserve old industrial machines from Cornish industries.
With help from the School of Mines, volunteers from the Carn Brea Mining Society spent over 10,000 hours on the project. Many items and machines were loaned or given to the museum. The mill has been largely restored to how it looked in the early 1900s.
King Edward Mine is the oldest complete mining site still standing in Cornwall. Even though it was built for teaching, it shows what a top Cornish mine would have looked like at the turn of the century. Because of its importance, English Heritage has given the entire site a special Grade II* listing.
Trevithick Trust Management
In mid-2000, the Trevithick Trust leased the museum part of the site from the Camborne School of Mines. After major building repairs, paid for by a European grant, the site officially opened to the public on April 28, 2002. The Trevithick Trust stopped operating in 2006, and by 2014, the site was again in poor condition.
Cornwall Council Takes Over
Cornwall Council took over the site. A grant of £1.1 million from the National Lottery helped pay for much-needed work. This included adding a café and turning some existing buildings into spaces that could be rented out.
The site reopened in April 2017, and more renovation and maintenance work continues. Today, visitors can see the newly restored Engine shaft and a small museum in the old mill engine room. The museum tells the story of the site, mining methods, and tin processing, as well as the lives of the miners.
A Cornish photographer named J.C. Burrow took many pictures of the mine during its construction. It is probably the most photographed mine of its size in Cornwall. Many of these photos are shown in the museum. Guided tours of the mill are also available. Here, you can see the Californian stamps (installed in 1901), which are the only full-size set still existing in the UK, and possibly in Europe. They are complete and in their original state. Much of the machinery in the mill is demonstrated working.
As of 2023, Cornwall Council owns the site. Some of the workspaces are used by the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall and the Upstream Thinking project of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
Mine Buildings Today
Other buildings on the site, which are not currently open to the public, include:
- The mine office: This is the only Count House (mine office) in Cornwall still used for its original purpose since the 1860s.
- The timber-framed Survey Office: This is a classic building, and no other examples like it remain in Cornwall.
- The carpenters' shop, blacksmith's shop, vanning room (where ore was tested), and the original miners' dry (a changing and drying room).
- The cobbled spalling floor: This floor, likely from around 1865 when the mine mainly produced copper, is one of the best examples left in Cornwall.
Annual Open Days
Until 2020, the mine held an annual open day to celebrate mining in Cornwall. This event took place the day after Camborne's Trevithick Day. For example, in 2009, it was held on April 26. It featured local brass bands, dancers, demonstrations of vanning (a way to test ore), vintage tractors, cars, stationary engines, a model railway exhibition, and mine models.
International Mining Games Venue
King Edward Mine is the location for the International Mining Games when they are held in the UK. It is also where CSM student teams train before competing overseas.
Images for kids
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The calciner at King Edward Mine.
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Location of King Edward Mine in the United Kingdom.
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Map marker for King Edward Mine.
