South Crofty Mine
From Graces Guide
of 2 Broad Street Place, London.
The last working tin mine, South Crofty at Pool.
South Crofty prior to its closure in 1998 was a major employer in the Camborne, Pool, Redruth area of West Cornwall. [1]
- 1680s Penhellick Vean and Tyn Croft - the forerunners of South Crofty are first mentioned in the historical records.
- 1730s Newcomen engines were introduced to the mine.
- 1740s Cook's Kitchen Mine was started during this decade.
- 1787 The Great Copper Slump caused many Cornish mines to shut for about a decade.
- 1822 The sett of East Wheal Crofty recorded.
- 1850s The former large sett of East Wheal Crofty was sub-divided into North Wheal Crofty and South Wheal Crofty.
- 1859 A 'man engine' was installed on Dunkin's shaft at Cook's Kitchen, followed by the sale of part of the South Wheal Crofty sett in 1861 with the proceeds funding the construction of Palmer's pumping Engine house near the boundary with the neighbouring East Pool sett.
- 1872 The sett of Cook's Kitchen on the western boundary with Dolcoath is subdivided into the northern New Cook's Kitchen sett with the southern half remaining as Cook's Kitchen sett.
- 1895 Cook's Kitchen Mine is sold to Tincroft mines with Tincroft and Carn Brea Mines amalgamating the following year.
- 1899 The new company purchased New Cook's Kitchen sett and pumping recommenced.
- 1901 The sinking of Robinson's shaft began followed by construction of Robinson's pumping engine house by 1903.
- 1906 The former 'South Wheal Crofty' company becomes 'South Crofty Limited' in July. The company was registered on 18 July, to acquire the undertaking of the South Wheal Crofty situated in Cornwall, the metals produced being tin, wolfram and arsenic. [2]
- 1907 The shaft at New Cook's Kitchen commenced sinking with a modernisation of the stamps and mill areas the following year.
- 1914-1918 World War One causes an increased demand for tin copper and other metals.
- 1921 The neighbouring mines at Dolcoath as well as Carn Brea and Tincroft closed as demand fell. There was also a large collapse of rock underground which blocked both shafts at the neighbouring East Pool Mine. With no pumping occurring in the neighbouring setts parts of South Crofty mine began flooding.
- This was resolved by the purchase and commissioning in 1922 of the 90 inch pumping engine formerly housed at Fortescue's shaft at Wheal Grenville.
- 1922-27 Taylor's shaft at East Pool was constructed and commissioned as well as other shafts at New Tolgus and New Roskear.
- 1936 The large sett of Dolcoath to the west was purchased, with South Crofty's underground workings now stretching from the east of Camborne to the Barncoose area of Redruth.
- 1985 In October, the price of tin crashes causing unemployment and hardship all through the Cornish mining industry.
- 1998 6th March closure of South Crofty.
See Also
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