Engine House Killifreth (Hawke's Shaft)

The Killifreth Mine stands near Chacewater in Cornwall. It once produced copper, tin and arsenic from deep underground. The engine house over Hawke’s Shaft is a Grade II listed building. Its tall chimney is the highest surviving in Cornwall. The mine began copper workings in 1826 and later switched to tin. In 1864 a new company took over and deepened the shaft. The engine house was built in 1892 to house an 80-inch pumping engine. A broken beam forced closure in 1897. The mine reopened in 1912 to mine arsenic, using a larger 85-inch engine. Four boilers powered the new machinery. Volatile arsenic prices led to another closure after only a few years. Visitors find the granite and killas engine house largely intact. Three storeys remain with walls standing firm. The south wall still supports the beam plate of the original engine. Above, timber framing once carried weather boards. The tall chimney rises above the ruins. To the east, remains of Engine Shaft’s late 19th-century engine house can be seen.