Old Lead Mine Pentireglaze

The mine produced lead, silver, and copper ore from its two main lodes, one running north-south and the other northeast-southwest. It had an adit (a tunnel running to the sea which would have been important in drainage) and two shafts.

Although there is little to see today on the surface around the NT car park, the mine in its day had a powerful steam engine, in a long ago demolished stone building near the car park, a steam whim and a crusher.

In the 1850s, the mine was acquired by the Pentire Glaze and Pentire United Silver-Lead Mines company. It continued to produce lead and silver ore, but not enough to be considered a highly profitable mine.

The mine however is still famous for its high-quality lead carbonate minerals,

Cerrusite, or Jack Straws as the miners

called them. Incredibly, as Tim’s photos show, they are still to be easily seen underground today!

The mine eventually closed in 1857 but the lodes of the Pentire Mine extended beyond its boundaries and were pursued in other nearby mines, such as Tinner's Hill, Wheal Phillipa, and Wheal Caroline. These mines also produced lead, silver, and copper ore. The Polzeath Consols mine was formed in 1847 by amalgamating several of these mines. It had adits and shafts for mining, and the lode varied in size and composition.

Trewiston was another small lead mine located south of the Pentire Mine. It was granted a sett (an area for mining) in 1875 and was located east of the road between Trebetherick and Trewint.