Exploring Wheal Fortune Mine. The remains of an incredible Cornish copper mine.

Рет қаралды 17,953

3 жыл бұрын

Consols mine and Wheal Fortune was a very important set of mine workings, located up the valley from Bissoe in mid Cornwall, UK.
The lode here was discovered in 1757 but by 1819 a man by the name of John Tayor made the mine into a massive operation.
With multiple steam engines, for pumping, raising ore and processing, this site was one of the advanced mine sites in the world and raised a large amount of Copper.
As the mine got deeper costs increased. By the 1870s the mine had ceased production and the engines and machinery sold off and the site left abandoned for nature to slowly reclaim.
Now the site is unrecognisable from what it once was and is popular with mountain bikers and walkers, most of which have no idea or understanding of what is under their feet.
In this video we have a quick look at how the site is now, before going underground and accessing some rarely visited workings.
Please remember this kind of exploration can be very dangerous if not done correctly and we highly recommend not attempting to recreate the trip which you will see in this video.
Hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe as we have more mine related videos in the planning stage.

Пікірлер: 76

@chazzwye1124 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, I was chatting to an old miner and he said that the clay with the matchsticks was used for counting how many men were in a particular part of the mine. Usually placed at the top of or near a shaft.

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Ah awesome . I did wonder if it was some kind of safety system for miners. A bit like modern tag in tag out system.

@treevesullivan4577 2 жыл бұрын

Was chatting to me old man who worked at Crofty for many years... He said it looks like a clay they called "stemmen" (unsure of the spelling). It was used originally to pack the explosives in tight and ensure the blast goes into the ore and not out the drill hole... The miners often used this clay to write notes, take tallies of miners, full carts out and even keep track of games during their short breaks. Have to gobble your pasty down quick tho... Me old man said he's seen hundreds in his years down the mine, some with numbers some with pegs and even the odd few smiley faces randomly placed 🙂 Love the vids 👌

@tom_123 3 жыл бұрын

That clay and matchsticks feature was super interesting. Do mention it in a future video if you discover it’s use. Thanks for the vid!

@lukegood1329 3 жыл бұрын

Ben, your becoming the modern day Fred dibnah, Loving it,👍👍

@joncaulfield9 3 жыл бұрын

Love the history you put with this video, really informative and staggering numbers associated with this mine. I know exactly where you went in and know the above ground features well but find the view below ground you produce fascinating. Please keep em coming.

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Jon. Not many people get to see it below. It’s pretty hard going and took a while to find some kit hard enough to survive the filming and lighting required ! 🤣

@therealbacon3384 3 жыл бұрын

Another awesome video, I think one of my favourite things about your videos is the fact that you add all the history and background to the mines, keep em coming!!

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers ! Nice to hear such positive feedback

@royfellows5468 3 жыл бұрын

I noticed my Lynx X2000 caplamp performing well! Interesting video.

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Roy . Any others you can think of down this way that would make good videos ? Ben

@JenifAR87 Ай бұрын

Astounding.

@bovine250 3 ай бұрын

Never been down that shaft, but have been in the adit not far from there, dodgy as anything, that was over 30 years ago. Wish we had the cameras back then like we do now. Love the videos 👍

@cebusapella9125 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video. I remember exploring the Wheal Maid and Poldice Valley area back in the 1970s, it was a fascinating area then. The shafts then didn't even have the Clwyd caps over them then, just big holes, sometimes surrounded by barbed wire if you were lucky! Great to see what's underneath. Fantastic, many thanks.

@963dexter 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, when we were on holiday we took the kids here, great to show them what is beneath the surface. Thankyou.

@UKAbandonedMineExplores 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, that's some serious money that was making at one point. Some valuable advice about shafts. Bloody hell, putting those balance bob pieces in place must have been hard, percarious work! Ahh, I thought that balance bob looked familiar, it was in a video years ago where they approached via the drainage tunnel, one of my favourite videos, but I can't easily find it, nice to see a new video of it.

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers , yeah same one. Not many drop in on ropes as they are a bit on the move. I too have walked up the adit but this time of year it’s too much flow and too high so this was the only option. I think very few people have been down.

@PetrolVeinscom 3 жыл бұрын

@@BenoCam Do you have any footage of walking up county adit starting at the poldice Valley? Often peered into that entrance wondering what it's like! Great video this one, the history is interesting.

@davenickels8224 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video , thanks for taking the time to make this.. such an important part of our heritage

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers. More to film when I get a chance !

@explorewithdelton4443 3 жыл бұрын

Come to America. Please. There are so many mines here and I would love to see you explore them.

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Ha would love to one day

@aaronteifel9441 3 жыл бұрын

great video as always well done ..

@Carolb66 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ben if i dont comment on all the video's, i am watching them im wotking my way through a playlist. Beautiful copper colouring in there. How you dont get lost fown there i will never know! Fab video. ❤😊

@BenoCam 7 ай бұрын

Every know and then we do get a little lost 😬 but never enough to not find a way out. We always carry lots of spare lights, food and batteries !!

@andrewjewell3142 2 жыл бұрын

It makes me clostraphobic just watching, although my grandfather's were both minners I don't think I could be

@nickbennett7101 2 жыл бұрын

It's very likely that my ancestors worked down there. They lived in Gwennap, St Day, Carharrack, Cusgarne, Cusvey, Crofthandy, Sunny Corner, Twelveheads, (where my great grandfather was born) etc.. In the mid 19th century censuses they were miners, man and boy. I walked the area in July.

@BenoCam 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Nick. Interesting for you to see the kind of conditions they worked in ! It was a hard life working underground 😬

@kernow..exp. 3 жыл бұрын

Another fantastic video mate

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Mark 🙂

@cornwallparanormalresearch2378 3 жыл бұрын

Thumbs up awesome watch. New subscribers here stay safe.

@filtonkingswood Жыл бұрын

Fascinating insight into a very historical mine. The tally find was particularly interesting. Whilst watching that My wife brought me a bacon sandwich and a cup of PG and commented Àhh, that troglodyte again` pretty impressive considering English is her second language.

@BenoCam Жыл бұрын

Haha

@jayedwards2703 3 жыл бұрын

Wow what an amazing video, so interesting, this terrifies me tho, to do a days work down there, hell nope.

@nigeljackson3032 Жыл бұрын

Great to see, I've walked most of the swcp and came across so many mine shafts and have been so intrigued to the history and what's down there, many times I've had the thought of "wow I'd love to go down one of these" so if you ever want to offer a fan a chance to go down, well then I'm your man, I'd love to experience this, but in the meantime thanks for the great videos of adventure down below you give us 😁

@BenoCam Жыл бұрын

Ha cheers Nigel 👍 few more when I get a chance !

@nigeljackson3032 Жыл бұрын

@@BenoCam Brilliant, keep up the great investigation work loving it. #truefan

@PPGtrikepilot 3 жыл бұрын

Another beauty Ben.😉👍

@maureencronin6926 3 жыл бұрын

Love your mining videos

@danielholme3874 3 жыл бұрын

Love this, that flooded stope was one of the gnarliest yet prettiest things I've ever seen in a copper mine. The name John Taylor is familiar, did he also work at the Ecton Mines in Staffordshire?

@sulray 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing,loved it..

@mephoto 7 ай бұрын

Wowe, beautiful video and the mine is gorgeous :)

@knowlesmineco. Жыл бұрын

Awesome video brother. Nice historical view i love it.

@waynesarahburns3871 3 жыл бұрын

I was shivering for danny! 😂

@sailingona 2 жыл бұрын

yes ben :) greetings from Scilly

@wyprawyleonayt 3 жыл бұрын

Great job! :)

@davidlanyon4780 3 жыл бұрын

great footage chaps. thank you.

@dazphilpott2876 3 жыл бұрын

Great video mate

@maureencronin6926 3 жыл бұрын

Love your videos

@JPWilliamsTV 3 жыл бұрын

As ever: Jeeeeesus!

@kejackson6103 2 жыл бұрын

These videos are amazing

@BenoCam 2 жыл бұрын

Ha thank you.

@kejackson6103 2 жыл бұрын

@@BenoCam i love the colours i want to paint them... have you found any gold yet :)

@kernowbysvyken5600 9 ай бұрын

Ive heard of another adit in the same valley. Wheal Maid Decline? if you ever want to do a revisit maybe expore that.

@BenoCam 9 ай бұрын

Sadly it’s been concreted up and buried !

@kernowbysvyken5600 9 ай бұрын

@@BenoCam the buggers! , maybe you could acess through the great county adit if it links up

@augustbieser6486 3 жыл бұрын

rlly cool video

@tmousse1163 3 жыл бұрын

What a fantastic thing you do, i would love to be able to do this type of exploring. Do you ever visit any Scottish mines?

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Never been down a Scottish mine yet ! We do work up there from time to time. Maybe I should pack my gear !

@wessexman1773 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video Ben with sound advice . I suppose the TONS of Copper & Tin would be Trammed to either Devoran or Portreath to be shipped to South Wales for smeltin ?

@BenoCam 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Lee. I would imagine a lot of the copper was taken down to Devoran as there was a mineral tramway set up back then which had now become the cycle path. If you look through he diving videos one of them was connected to the copper trade and was carrying copper smelted material around to South Wales , and also had a quantity of old coin on board for re melting. It’s the shipwreck hunters ep:3 I think

@wessexman1773 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben , so Interesting, I use to live in Devoran in a cottage at Carclew Terrace /corner of Market street I had a front garden where the Tramway ran across. Standing in the garden is a iron post switchrail used for shunting from line to line..@@BenoCam

@emmawheeler8559 3 ай бұрын

Mental! 😮❤

@banjojohn81 3 жыл бұрын

I've heard the air round United Downs is crap. Do you take an air monitor? Great vid!

@BenoCam 3 жыл бұрын

Tested it on the first one, and it was good. Lots of vent down there many open shafts . Should take one every time really as it even if it was good one day it might not be the next.