Not So Poldark Mine
Poldark has managed through books and TV series to become part of the Cornish landscape as well as a few women’s hearts. However, despite his rugged looks and commercial acumen he is in fact fictional. So what gives with the tin mine named after him?
The Cornish National Heritage Collection was founded in 1963 by the late Peter Young, who began collecting machines, and it first opened to the public on June 1st, 1971, fifty years ago as a tourist attraction. The site was initially known as Wendron Forge, the name was changed to Halfpenny Park and later, to Poldark Mine. A few years after it opened , the long-forgotten Wheal Roots tin mine was rediscovered. And because alluvial tin was processed here during the Bronze Age, this is most likely the UK’s oldest known industrial location.
The mine has several levels, and the guided tours led by experienced guides have received numerous accolades for their unbiased presentation – there are no gimmicks or frills. The atmosphere in Wheal Roots 18th century Tin Mine Workings is palpable, leaving an unforgettable and profound impression on those who venture below.
Wheal Roots, Hwel Roots, or Huel Roots is a Cornish tin mine that is now known as The Poldark Mine and has a special place in Cornish tin mining history. The mine is an ancient location that is also a Regionally Important Geological & Geomorphological Site [RIGS] No K31 [there are only 56 such designations in the entire United Kingdom]. Worked between the years 1720 and 1780. In 1856, Wheal Roots became a part of the Wendron Consols Mine and is depicted as “old men’s workings” on surface plans of that mine, indicating that it was a very old mine at the time. The main stope shaft was recently identified as the location of a Carbona Mass, and its upper level was once worked as a Goffen Shaft in ancient times, which is extremely unusual. Wendron Consols itself started working as an underground mine in 1851/2, but records show that it had been in operation for at least 90 years before that (and possibly as early as 1493 as tin streaming works). It was a mine with some success. Six lodes were worked, and copper and tin were made.
The mine, scheduled ancient monument, and grounds are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.
The Wendron Area of the World Heritage Site (where Wheal Roots sits) is one of the smallest, but it features some of the most well-preserved examples of mineworkers’ smallholdings. Its rich tin reserves formerly supported a population comparable to that of Redruth and Camborne combined. This need resulted in the formation of numerous mineworkers’ smallholdings near Carnmenellis, which are among the best-preserved on the entire Site. Here you will find picturesque granite cottages and tiny fields enclosed by dozens of cob and moorland granite low walls, respectively.
Wendron has one of Cornwall’s longest documented histories of tin mining. Tin-streamers worked the district’s rich alluvial deposits before the year 1500, according to historical records. These early tin mines led to the discovery of mineral lodes that were mined using both shallow and deep shafts beginning in the 17th century. Other remaining engine houses are include Wheal Ann, Trumpet Consols, and Wheal Enys.
As for Poldark himserlf? Winston Graham wrote the Poldark series of historical novels, which were first published between 1945 and 1953 and then again between 1973 and 2002. The series’ main character’s name inspired the title of the first book, Ross Poldark. The BBC twice adapted the book series for television, once in 1975 and again in 2015. Apparently women swoon after him!