Kit Hill Summit Mines Spoil Heap Rock Dumps Cornwall

Title

Kit Hill Summit Mines Spoil Heap Rock Dumps Cornwall

Artist

Richard Brookes

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Photograph

Description

One of the immense spoil heap rock dumps of Kit Hill Summit Mine with far ranging views. Kit Hill (Bre Skowl in Cornish) is 334m high and is one of five hills classified as a Marilyn in Cornwall. It dominates the surrounding landscape and the nearby town of Callington in Cornwall, SW England, UK.

Prince Charles, the Duke of Cornwall, gave Kit Hill Country Park to the people of Cornwall in 1985 in celebration of the birth of his on Prince William. There are various Neolithic and Bronze age remains on the hill.

Mining has occured here since at least the C15th & C16th when open lode back pits were dug from the surface. The first mechanical Kit Hill summit mines operated from around 1826 variously as Kit Hill Great Consols / Kit Hill United until all operations ceased in 1884 probably due to the difficulty in extraction due to the hardness of the granite bedrock. The heaps are near to the large North Engine Shaft (also called Old Crumbly) which is over 200 metres deep. The remains are a poignant reminder to the incredible mining heritage of this area over centuries especially following the Industrial Revolution with mechanisation and the move from manpower to water and then to steam power in Victorian times. Tin, silver, copper and tungsten were mined around the hill. Ii is believed up to 1000 shafts, pits and other trials for minerals exist on the hill.


In 1877 the Excelsior Tunnel was started being driven under Kit Hill. This was undertaken and abandoned at various times by different enterprises due to increasing costs due to the toughness of the bedrock. Eventually it was acquired in 1959 by the AEA (Atomic Energy Authority) to test controlled underground explosions.

Due to the importance of this site in the development of pioneering mining skills and technology which were exported around the whole world, the site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Mining Landscape of Cornwall and West Devon no 1215.

Uploaded

December 28th, 2020

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