Rinsey facts for kids

Rinsey is a small village, also called a hamlet, located in Cornwall, England. It is found near the main A394 road, between the towns of Helston and Penzance. Rinsey is part of the larger area known as Breage parish.

Just 1 kilometer (about half a mile) to the northeast is another small village called Rinsey Croft. The beautiful cliffs and beach near Rinsey are looked after by the National Trust. This organization helps protect special places. Part of Rinsey East Cliff is a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI) called Porthcew. This means it's a very important place for studying rocks and the Earth's history. The famous South West Coast Path, a long walking trail, also goes through Rinsey. Rinsey is also part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which means it's a specially protected landscape.

History of Rinsey

Rinsey has a long history! It was mentioned in a very old book called the Domesday Book. This book was created in 1086 to record information about England. In the Domesday Book, Rinsey was called 'Rentis'. It was one of four main areas, or manors, in the Breage parish. In 1086, about 9 or 10 families lived there.

In 1880, a newspaper called The Cornishman mentioned Rinsey. It said that Rinsey was one of the places near Helston that had its own fishing boats.

Mining for Metals

Cornwall is famous for its mining history, and Rinsey was part of it!

Wheal Prosper Mine

Wheal Prosper was a mine on Rinsey East Cliff. It started working in 1860. It might have been an extension of another mine called Wheal Trewavas, which was about 800 meters (half a mile) to the east. This mine was in an area known for mining, near the Tregonning granite rocks.

Wheal Prosper closed in 1866. During its time, it mainly dug up tin and a small amount of copper from a rock vein called the Porthcew lode.

The House on Rinsey Head

There is a well-known house on Rinsey Head. Many people thought it was the mine's office building, called a "count house." However, this house was actually built much later, between the late 1920s and early 1930s. A man named Mr. G. A. Gibb, who was a stockbroker from London, bought the land and built it.

The house was designed in a special style called Arts and Crafts. It was meant to be a holiday home. Building it was a big job! Workers had to blast away rock to create the foundations. It took four years to build, using stone from a local quarry.

Another mining company, The New Penrose Tin and Copper Mining Company Ltd, worked at Trewavas Head. This company closed down in 1882.

Nature and Wildlife

Rinsey is a special place for nature.

Porthcew Site of Special Scientific Interest

In 1990, part of Rinsey Cliff was named the Porthcew SSSI. This is because of the interesting mix of minerals found there. These minerals were created where the granite rock meets older rocks called Mylor Slates, which formed during the Devonian period. This area is also important for studying geology on a national level.

Seabirds at Trewarvas Head

Trewarvas Head is home to a colony of black-legged kittiwakes, which are a type of seabird. Usually, about 35 pairs of these birds nest there. However, the number can change. For example, in 2013, only six nests were active. Other birds that nest here include the European shag and the European herring gull.

Images for kids

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  The ″former Count House″ on Rinsey Head which was built, as a holiday home, long after the mines closed.