The South Crofty Mine
Up until its closure in 1998, South Crofty Mine had seen continual working for tin and copper since medieval times with an unbroken record of mining activity having been kept since 1670. During the 1830s the mine, then known as East Wheal Crofty, produced copper and was the premier mind in the district. Later split into smaller units, the South Wheal Crofty secton was eventually to become the largest Cornish mine in history. By the end of the 1880s tin had once again become the focus of the persistent and skilful search by Cornish miners deep underground.
From a tiny operation around one hundred feet long, less than one hundred feet deep and working a single main lode during the reign of Elizabeth I, South Crofty Mine grew to be almost 2 ¼ miles long, 3,000 feet deep and has mined over forty different lodes. South Crofty produced more ore than any other Cornish mine.
Despite the benefits of modern technology and the unrivalled mining skills of its workforce, extraction methods at South Crofty remained remarkably similar to those used by previous generations of miners, and up until its closure these methods were still physically demanding and labour intensive.
All tin mining in Cornwall ceased in 1998 with the South Crofty Mine being the last to close.... however there is work underway to re-open the mine.
Our tin, which is now used to manufacture items for the South Crofty Collection, was extracted from South Crofty Mine prior to its closure, and was stockpiled solely for the purpose of producing jewellery and giftware so that people can buy a little bit of Cornish heritage and own a special piece of Cornwall.
From a tiny operation around one hundred feet long, less than one hundred feet deep and working a single main lode during the reign of Elizabeth I, South Crofty Mine grew to be almost 2 ¼ miles long, 3,000 feet deep and has mined over forty different lodes. South Crofty produced more ore than any other Cornish mine.
Despite the benefits of modern technology and the unrivalled mining skills of its workforce, extraction methods at South Crofty remained remarkably similar to those used by previous generations of miners, and up until its closure these methods were still physically demanding and labour intensive.
All tin mining in Cornwall ceased in 1998 with the South Crofty Mine being the last to close.... however there is work underway to re-open the mine.
Our tin, which is now used to manufacture items for the South Crofty Collection, was extracted from South Crofty Mine prior to its closure, and was stockpiled solely for the purpose of producing jewellery and giftware so that people can buy a little bit of Cornish heritage and own a special piece of Cornwall.