Levant Mine and Beam Engine, Penwith, United Kingdom

Levant Mine and Beam Engine is a National Trust property at Trewellard, Pendeen, near St Just. Its main attraction is that it has the world's only Cornish beam engine still operated by steam on its original site. There is also a visitor centre, a short underground tour, and the South West Coast Path leads to Botallack Mine, via a cliff-top footpath.

The property is on the site of the former Levant Mine, established in 1820 and closed in 1930, where tin and copper ores were raised. The mine reached a depth of about 600 metres. It got the nickname 'mine under the sea', because tunnels were driven up to 2.5 km from the cliffs under the sea. The surviving beam engine was built c. 1840 by Harvey's of Hayle.

In 1919 the engine used to transport men between the different levels of the mine failed, leading to the deaths of thirty-one men.

Since 2006, the area has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Marianna B (14 months ago)
A very windy afternoon but the views are exceptional. The tour is well worth to book, very informative about the area and the history of the mines.

Denise Roberts (14 months ago)
Amazing, tour guide was very good. Free for national trust members, and £12 Adults, £6 children. Worth a visit, and amazing scenery.

Jayne Hall (2 years ago)
Very interesting place which gives a good insight into the life of a tin miner. The tour was fabulous...the guide, an ex miner, was very knowledgable and engaging.

brian harold (2 years ago)
What an absolute treasure of a place this is, bookable via the national trust, fantastic and very informative tour of the mines and the workings, some very sad history associated with the mine, this just makes the tour more worthwhile with the history. Good size carpark and toilets are available.

wobbly woz (2 years ago)
I walked through the area and really wanted to learn more about the history and buildings scattered around the coast. I find the National Trust do tours so booked a slot online and found it really interesting. You can walk freely around the site but the tooth explained the history and gave an idea what life would have been like when the mines were operating. Seeing the machinery in operation was great and it's apparently now unique in the world so well with a couple of hours and £11.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Levant Mine and Beam Engine

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche