Devon Great Consols
Devon Great Consols copper mine occupies a large site located in the Tamar Valley close to Tavistock in Devon.
The lease on the site was taken from the Duke of Bedford in 1844 by a group of investors.
Work at the site began in August of the same year, when it was known as North Bedford Mines or Wheal Maria. By November 1844, a rich vein of copper ore was discovered at a depth of 20 fathoms underground. After learning that the copper lode extended eastward for over two miles, the company quickly began opening other mines on its property.
In the first six years of operation, nearly 90,000 tons of copper had come from Devon Great Consols. The mine was so productive, transport by horse and wagon could no longer handle the volume of copper it sent to Morwellham Quay.
The company built its own railway, the Devon Great Consols Railway, to transport its product to Morwellham Quay as well as build the Great Dock at the port which is located on the River Tamar.
Devon Great Consols was once viewed as the most productive copper mine in the world. When cheaper sources of copper became available from abroad the company began refining arsenic in 1867 and was considered to be its largest arsenic producer during the 19th century.
The mine closed around 1902 with much of the railway and plant being scrapped the following year.
However, working the site for arsenic resumed during World War I and continued until 1925.
Further work has also took place on the site during the mid 20th Century.
Today much of the Devon Great Consols is covered in timber plantations and more recently public bridal, cycle and footpaths have been created on the extensive site known as Tamar Trails.
Devon Great Consols is a scheduled historic site. Much information is available about the mine with “Devon Great Consols: A Mine of Mines” by R.J. Stewart being the definitive history.
Read MoreThe lease on the site was taken from the Duke of Bedford in 1844 by a group of investors.
Work at the site began in August of the same year, when it was known as North Bedford Mines or Wheal Maria. By November 1844, a rich vein of copper ore was discovered at a depth of 20 fathoms underground. After learning that the copper lode extended eastward for over two miles, the company quickly began opening other mines on its property.
In the first six years of operation, nearly 90,000 tons of copper had come from Devon Great Consols. The mine was so productive, transport by horse and wagon could no longer handle the volume of copper it sent to Morwellham Quay.
The company built its own railway, the Devon Great Consols Railway, to transport its product to Morwellham Quay as well as build the Great Dock at the port which is located on the River Tamar.
Devon Great Consols was once viewed as the most productive copper mine in the world. When cheaper sources of copper became available from abroad the company began refining arsenic in 1867 and was considered to be its largest arsenic producer during the 19th century.
The mine closed around 1902 with much of the railway and plant being scrapped the following year.
However, working the site for arsenic resumed during World War I and continued until 1925.
Further work has also took place on the site during the mid 20th Century.
Today much of the Devon Great Consols is covered in timber plantations and more recently public bridal, cycle and footpaths have been created on the extensive site known as Tamar Trails.
Devon Great Consols is a scheduled historic site. Much information is available about the mine with “Devon Great Consols: A Mine of Mines” by R.J. Stewart being the definitive history.
