Botallack Mines

Botallack Mine is one of Cornwall's most evocative industrial ruins, its iconic engine houses perched directly on the Atlantic cliffs of the St Just peninsula. Mining here dates to before 1721, with tin and copper extraction continuing until the site's closure in 1914. What made it remarkable in its day was the extent of its undersea workings — shafts descended some 400 metres below sea level, and miners reported hearing the ocean surging overhead. The site now forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape. It sits along the South West Coast Path, making it easily reached on foot, and its windswept granite ruins have served as a filming location for the TV series Poldark.