Phoenix United Mine, Minions, Linkinhorne, Cornwall, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
Phoenix United Mine	Mine (Abandoned)
Minions	Village
Linkinhorne	Civil Parish
Cornwall	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

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Mining first commenced in 1836 under the name of Cornwall Great United Mines but was unsuccessful. Reopened about 1844 as the Phoenix Mine, the West Phoenix Mine was included within the set in 1875, after which the mine was worked as Phoenix United.

Most of the dumps were removed at closure, including engine houses, but the Prince of Wales Shaft has a complex of buildings associated with it.

This mine is on the flank of Bodmin Moor beyond the crest of Caradon Hill, where, unlike South Caradon, the country rock has largely been eroded away to expose the granite at the surface, and what country rock remains is significantly more altered by regional metamorphism.

As with South Caradon, in the early years of operation after 1824 Phoenix was a faltering concern with a number of ownership and name changes. In 1852, however, a rich copper lode was struck, and for 10 years output approached that of South Caradon but then rapidly declined.

A simplistic notion of hypogene deposition was already well understood, and this seemed to have been confirmed by the findings at Dolcoath Mine, where the copper gave way to tin at the granite-country rock contact. There were indications of tin at Phoenix, and tin streaming had taken place on both Caradon Hill and adjacent to the Cheesewring Quarry nearby on the higher moorland. Furthermore, cassiterite was being worked at the nearby Marke Valley Mine lower down the hillside. Gambling on there being tin reserves at depth, a controlling share in the mine was bought by William West, a mining engineer who was at the time working for the company.

His gamble paid off, and the workforce at the mine tripled within a year, so that in 1877 a peak production of 34,000 tons of tin ore was brought to the surface. Production thereafter declined but continued for another 20 years.
In 1907 the Prince of Wales shaft with its magnificent engine house was begun. It was, however, a financial disaster, finally reaching a depth of 200 fathoms but with only 95 tons of black tin produced over seven years.

To help interpret these figures, it should be noted that tin ore typically yields 1-2% cassiterite, aka 'black tin'. So from 1853 to 1913, approximately 16,500 tons of black tin were produced from this group of mines. By that simple reckoning, the 1877 production was between 340 and 700 tons of black tin from the 34,000 tons of ore, which over the 20 years of peak production would indeed give a total output approaching the total of 16,500 tons of black tin.

Similarly, the 80,000 tons of copper ore raised at Phoenix United yielded around 6.75% copper, in other words, 5,400 tons of copper. Compare this to the peak year at South Caradon, which in 1864 produced 5,144 tons of copper from a 10% ore.

Adding to the above figures the volume of waste rock that was removed from shafts, adits, and barren ground or wall rock to permit access, it is easy to see how the total amount excavated could readily reach half a million tons or more; little wonder, then, the extensive tips.

While little surface evidence remains in the undergrowth down the slope from the tips, there are buddles and leats and reservoirs.

Note on the mineral list: for "coeruleolactite," see references and information given for the planerite-turquoise series.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

54 valid minerals. 1 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities