Localities in Cornwall

Cornwall can be subdivided into four regions of interest for the mineral collector.


Relics of the mining past at Botallack in the West of Cornwall.
Firstly, there is the Botallack Coast Line in the west, where mainly copper and tin was mined by about 20 companies. It is the type locality for botallackite. Several well-preserved mine sites and other fine examples of Cornwall’s industrial heritage can be visited along the Coastal Footpath.

Then there is the region around Redruth and Camborne. In the early 19th century alone the Wheal Basset Copper Mine included forty individual copper mines. Between 1832 and 1895 Wheal Basset produced the enormous amount of 128,370 tons of copper and 9,320 tons of tin. It is especially in this region that you can visit a number of mining museums and other relics of the industrial past. The Camborne School of Mines displays a substantial collection of Cornish minerals.


The region between St. Agnes and St. Austell is another area of interest for collectors. The clay pits, mainly Goonbarrow China Clay Pit and Gunheath China Clay Pit, are its most characteristic feature. The area around Perranporth is famous for the tin mining that flourished here in the past. Cligga Head, a landmark on the coastline, offers a good view of both the windswept rocky Cornwall seashore and the famous rock itself, showing greisen veins of cassiterite and wolframite.

Lastly, there is eastern Cornwall. A large number of minerals was evidenced in the quarries of Hingston Down and Greystones. On the south-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, 5 miles north of Liskeard, first copper and later tin were mined by the Phoenix United Mine up to 1914. Today part of the area is a natural reserve.

Further information can be obtained from an article by the authors in the mineralogical magazine: “Der Aufschluss” (6 / 2012), published by the VFMG. A printed copy of the article, at a moderate amount to cover expenses, can be obtained at: mail@mineralien-kabinett.de

Here is an abstract:

Cornwall – still a locality worthwhile visiting?
Suggestions for a mineralogical holiday trip (Title translated)

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