Oh this is fantastic. My Direct Ancestors worked in the mines at St. Just and quite a few other mines in Cornwall. Some of my relatives died in the Levant disaster too. Trembath, Stevens, Rowe, Angwin, Richards, Lawry, Mann, Warren, Woolcock, Trewolla all my Direct Ancestors :) Thank you for showing us though, it's fascinating to actually see in a way how they would have worked!
The short curved shovels we called banjos in my late teens mining and ideal in confined spaces . The kibble generally was for shaft sinking purposes although not exclusively . The artefacts have faired relatively well considering the damp conditions and age . Typical Cornish tin mine where only the barest amount of rock necessary was removed as seen in the very narrow stopes . That winze was tight though . Great video ,well done .
Hard rock mining it’s called, the workers certainly were hard. I’ve only been down, a couple levels aniseed to recall, vertical ladders the way down, very quiet, but then no one working, no machinery etc. Miners deserve medals.
This is the best vid in this genre I've seen! Thanks so much. Beautifully presented and very nicely lit, lovely to hear the accent again too. Nice bal, lovely artefacts, I'm deeply jealous and would love to do this, excellent!
Fascinating !. However, I wouldnt have the guts to go down there, boll***s to that 😯. Strangely, some of my ancestors were tin miners, but the bravery didnt pass onto me !. Tough bastards in those days....
Tight squeeze, but less waste rock to deal with. Cool mine cart. Love the 2 different wheels on the one side. Haven't seen a lot with 4 straight spokes, mostly the like the other with the curve in the spoke and at least 6. Very cool video. Yall be safe out there
Surley is a beautiful place, I'd love to see it in person unfortunately I'm partly disabled so unless I can take my walking sticks which I'd certainly be game to, but buggered otherwise! 😂
Another good one Ben, especially the artifacts, so interesting lets hope that stays safe forever, was'nt their a gunpowder making building/place in the valley at Ponsonooth ? re the fuses etc. You dont arf get around one minute below the ground next below the sea, into space next ! lol.
Loving these videos Ben o Cam! Discovered a lovely tunnel in the cliff at Portheras cove a couple of summers ago, I assume part of a mine. Have you explored that one?
Cheers.. ooo no , I know where you mean, it’s that lovely beach north of pendeen lighthouse! Walked up too but never been down onto the beach… might be worth a look 🙂
Hey Ben, love ya vids 👍 Im in your neck of the woods and did loads of this in the 80’s such as caradon, kit hill, lucket, gunnislake etc Im right up for more adventures do you want any more help digging etc, I have plenty of useful skills to put to use.
Haha are you trying to kill me off ? You can get a yearly dose of radiation in a couple hours in there ! Even the surface is very hot on a gieger counter!
@@BenoCam What about some of the old shafts around Carn Grey in the old pits then? Loads of shafts in luxulyan valley aswell but never see anyone explore our local ones
Funny thing is, you find original shovels, in 'relatively' good condition, but Chinese shoves, that have been use for digs, within 3 years, they are falling to bits. In a 200 mile local mine complex, I only know of one kibble. An 'Oresome' mine cart lol
Hang on… drop number 2? Kind of begs the question doesn’t it? I wonder how the miners would have dealt with getting caught short or the aftermath of a cider and pastie binge.
Hi Ben - I'm a documentary filmmaker and really interested in filming these types of mines with a slightly larger film camera (FS7 or Blackmagic 4k). I'd love to chat with you further about collaborating if you had a spare moment? Is there any way of contacting you privately? All the best, Hugh
Yeah no problem , send me an email at bin_dustbin@hotmail.com or find me on Facebook, I have a page called Ben o cam productions 🤣 I can give you my mobile number from either of them if you want it .
In bits I guess . Although I think there may have been another shaft nearby in that area that has now been capped and filled in. Many years ago were used for tipping rubbish down and backfilled.
OGMizen haha this ones pretty easy going to be honest . We have been down it quite a few times too. The rock is good and so is the ventilation so all you have to worry about is not slipping/falling and hurting yourself !
