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History of Cornish Mining - Cligga Mine Revisited - Poldark Times

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• published: 12 Jan 2014
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Cornish Tin Mine and Mining History - Cligga Mine Revisited - Cligga Head, Perranporth Cornwall. 3 ghostly images are in the footage from Nosferatu (copyright expired). Revisit of Cligga Tin Mine with much improved lighting, filmed on my GoPro3, 3 hour trip condensed into 30 minutes no software enhancement required. Cree t6 and XML-U2 lamps provide incredible lighting. Bob and myself both have extensive knowledge of mines and mining techniques through working in the industry, old workings are extremely dangerous and must only be entered with a full understanding of how they work, many transfer chutes, winzes, shafts and open stopes make it a hazardous environment. History of Cligga Mine. Cligga Wolfram & Tin Mine lies on the cliff tops about one and a quarter miles southwest of Perranporth on the North Cornish coast. The granite pegmatite cliffs have been altered to greisen and exhibit jointing and veining. The veins often filled with cassiterite (tin oxide), wolframite, mispickel (arsenical pyrite) and the copper/iron suphides, chalcopyrite and bornite. Silver ore has also been reported here. There is one shaft on the sett called Contact Shaft and two adits, one at beach level called Beach Adit, the other atop the cliffs and unsurprisingly called Cliff Adit. The mine worked in the early part of the twentieth century although 'Old Men's Workings' from the past are quite visible as you approach the area. Mining restarted in 1938 after a period of closure prior to the mine being taken over by the 'Rhodesian Mines Trust Limited in 1939'. Trials were carried out around this time to see if it was more feasible to work the stockwork as an open cast pit rather than an underground mine, but this came to nothing. There is surprisingly little information on Cligga although there are production records showing that between 1940 and 1944, 300 tons of wolfram and 200 tons of black tin were raised and sold. 1945 Cligga Mine closed. The War was nearly over and shipments of American tungsten were now arriving regularly in England. The high cost of producing a small quantity of tungsten from Cligga could no longer by justified and therefore, production at Cligga was halted. In 1962 the 'Geevor Mining Company took out a lease on the mine and in collaboration with the Sungesi Besi, Tronoh and Panang Companies started a programme of shaft rehabilitation and deepening with a view to re-opening the mine. Contact shaft was deepened to 550 feet from surface, drives 'on lode' were started both seawards and inland. However water was hit at about 250 feet from the shaft and work there abandoned. The seaward drive continued for some 800 feet before further exploration by diamond drilling commenced. The results were inconclusive, and by early 1964 Geevor had decided to unwater 'Levant' mine instead of re-opening Cligga. 1976 there was renewed interest in mining for tin on a small scale at Cligga, and Wheal Concord undertook a limited programme of evaluation. Wheal Concord Ltd planned to re-open contact shaft in 1984-1985, but the collapse of the tin-market in October 1985 put a stop to this. Cornish tin mines are dangerous only people with knowledge of working mines should enter but then only with extreme caution. History of Cornish Tin Mines collection All music composed with vst plugins and keyboard with mixer, even then had to re up due to a copyright issue and it was my very own work - crazy. 39 views until then. Cligga Mine modern history. 1938 September 21st the "Cligga Wolfram and Tin Mines Ltd" was founded and soon after completion of the installation the rich ore veins were exploited. 1939 The Rhodesian Mines Trust Ltd. took over the company Contact shaft was extended until it reached close to sea level and new stopes were drilled to fully exploit the ore body. 1940, vibration from blasting caused the first of several collapses of the area of cliffs housing the process water pumps (at the northern end of the beach). Eventually, a tunnel was driven to the northwest and a new pump chamber established just above sea level, well away from the effects of blasting. 1941 with the new pump system functional, it was possible to increase production. However, although production had increased, the cost of production had also increased. 1945 Cligga Mine closed. The War was nearly over and shipments of American tungsten were now arriving regularly in England. The high cost of producing a small quantity of tungsten from Cligga could no longer by justified and therefore, production at Cligga was halted. Early 1962 the ‘Geevor Mining Company took out a lease on the mine and in collaboration with the Sungesi Besi, Tronoh and Panang Companies started a programme of shaft rehabilitation and deepening with a view to re-opening the mine. Contact shaft was deepened to 550 feet from surface, drives ‘on lode’ were started both seawards and inland.