| Summary : A tin, copper and arsenic mine situated on the coast, extending from Levant Zawn almost to Geevor tin mine. The mine was first documented in 1743 and the present mine was formed in 1820 by a group of investors lead by Lewis Charles Daubuz and Mr John Batten. A large copper deposit was located a depth of 20 fathoms below the surface and further exploratory work was carried out. From 1835 Levant mined tin and was an important tin producer. Between 1820 to 1930 it produced over 130,000 tons of copper ore of high (10%) grade, 24,000 tons of black tin and substantial quantities of arsenic. In 1912 5,278 ounces of silver and 4 ounces of gold were also sold. Much of the mine extends under the Atlantic Ocean, it reached its deepest point, 350 fathoms, by 1904. Access to the lower levels was achieved by sinking two shafts out under the sea, Old Submarine shaft connecting the 210 to the 302 fathom level and New Submarine Shaft connecting the 260 to the 350 fathom level. In 1857 a 'man engine' (Monument HOB UID 1469047) was installed on Engine Shaft, reached by a tunnel from the Miner's Dry. On the 20th October 1919 the main rod of the Man Engine broke killing 31 miners. From 1920 the mine was operated by The Levant Tin Mines Limited and was only worked from the surface down to the 210 fathom level. The mine closed in October 1930. During the late 1950s Geevor mine reopened Levant. Skip Shaft was refurbished to the 190 fathom level and a four man cage was installed in place of the original two ore skips. Both mines were closed in 1991. Surviving features include the all-indoor beam winding engine and engine house (Monument Hob UID 1469047) and a pumping engine house. The count house, carpenter's shop, smithy and miner's dry survive as ruined buildings. Along the cliff edge are traces of dressing floors including a complete water-powered stamping mill and leats. The cliff face contains many adits and a number of cliff workings. |
More information : (SW 371346) Levant Mine (Tin & Copper) (NAT) (1)
The squat engine house of the Levant mine still houses the 24-inch whim engine, built by Harveys of Hayle in 1840 and rebuilt in 1862, which was preserved after the mine closed in 1930.
The mine was first worked for copper in the 1820s and continuously for tin in the 19th century, the Trereife smelting works (SW 42 NE 44) being used as a storage depot for Levant tin in the 1890s. The remains of the main engine, which collapsed in 1919 killing 31 miners, can be seen in the area. After the accident entry to the mine was made through an adit halfway down the cliff.
On the cliff top is a confusion of old settling beds, buddles,
calciners and stamp mills.
See Location map (2) with SW 33 SE 97. (2-4)
Levant Mine contains many surviving structural phases some badly damaged though still discernible, and there is considerable evidence of buried staratigraphy near the upper dressing floor and elsewhere. At various locations about the site, especially in the southern end, traces of earlier shallow workings remain and consist mainly of Mediaeval/ early post-Mediaeval lode-back pits and small opencuts.
Most of the surviving features relate, however, to the 19th century and early 20th centuries. Important individual components include the all-indoor beam engine house at Skip Shaft complete with in situ engine and nearby well-preserved beam engine house at Engine Shaft, calcining plant, and the prominent landmark engine house, with its unique associated structure, at Higher Levant. (5)
A tin, copper and arsenic mine documented in 1793. It later included Zawn Brinney and Boscregan Mines and subsequently closed in 1930. Surviving features include the all-indoor beam winding engine and engine house (Monument Hob UID 1469047) and a pumping eingine house. The count house, carpenter's shop, smothy and miner's dry survive as ruined buildings. Along the cliff edge are traces of dressing floors including a complete water-powered stamping mill and leats. The cliff face contains many adits and a number of cliff workings. (6)
The mine produced in excess of 130,000 tons of copper, 24,000 tons of tin, and substantial quantities of arsenic. The main Levant workings lie on the coast, stretching from Levant Zawn almost to Geevor. In 1873 mine included Badden shaft sunk to a depth of 300 fathoms and Boscregan shaft at 73 fathoms. The mine was worked and drained by five steam engines. Much of the mine extends under the Atlantic Ocean, it reached its deepest point, 350 fathoms, by 1904. Access to the lower levels was achieved by sinking two shafts out under the sea, Old Submarine shaft connecting the 210 to the 302 fathom level and New Submarine Shaft connecting the 260 to the 350 fathom level.
Before 1857 the miners used ladders to get to and from their place of work, these were replaced by a Man Engine which enabled access to and from the 266 fathom level with very little effort. However on 20th October 1919 the main rod of the Man Engine broke killing 31 miners.
From 1920 the mine was operated by a new company The Levant Tin Mines Limited. During this period the mine was only worked from the surface down to the 210 fathom level, on ground supposedly worked out many years before. The mine closed in October 1930.
During the late 1950s the neighbouring Geevor mine investigated the possibility of reopening Levant to enable them to work the seaward extension of their own lodes. Skip Shaft was refurbished to the 190 fathom level and a four man cage was installed in place of the original two ore skips. Both Geevor and Levant were closed in 1991. (7-8)
Levant appears as a mine in its own right on maps dating from 1748 and comprises an amalgamation of smaller mines including Boscregan and Unity. The present mine was formed in about 1820 by a group of investors lead by Lewis Charles Daubuz and Mr John Batten. A large copper deposit was located a depth of 20 fathoms below the surface and further exploratory work was carried out. From 1835 Levant mined tin and became an important tin producer. In the period 1820 to 1930 Levant produced over 130,000 tons of copper ore of high (10%) grade and 24,000 tons of black tin. In 1912 5,278 ounces of silver and 4 ounces of gold were also sold.
In 1856 a 'man engine' was installed on Daubuz's shaft, reached by a tunnel from the Miner's Dry. The shaft subsequently became known as Engine Shaft and reduced the journey time from over an hour to less than half an hour. Surface buildings built during this time included the stamps, both cornish stamps and californian stamps types, a calciner ore and a mill area containing rag frames and buddles. The mine used pit ponies for a short time from 1893 to tram the ore on the main 278 fathom (below adit) tramming level some 1600 feet underground. (9)
The submarine workings at Levant extended to about 1.5 kilometres from the cliffs to a depth of 600 metres below the sea bed. (10)
Public feedback has suggested that the stamping mill at the site was not water-powered. (11) |