Wheal Frances | 800x600 | Cornwall 365.

Place: Wheal Frances   |   Category: World Heritage Sites   |   Photograph Added: 25th September 2006

South Wheal Frances was one of the mines on the Great Flat Lode, a large and rich tin deposit south of Carn Brea. Mines along this lode produced over 90,000 tons of high quality tin concentrate. In contrast to the usual steep nature of the lodes in Cornwall the Great Flat Lode was as its name suggests relatively flat.

Lady Frances Basset, who was the mineral lord for the area, granted the lease for South Wheal Frances in 1834 and the golden period for ore production was the 1850’s but even in the early years of the 20th century several thousand men, women and children worked in the mine which was very different scenario to other Cornish mines of the period.