The lead and silver mine near St Newlyn East that connects the Gannel, Lappa Valley and Treffry’s mineral railway.
East Wheal Rose was a lead and silver mine near St Newlyn East, inland from Newquay. Its site is now associated with the Lappa Valley railway and family attraction.
It connects two different stories: mine waste reaching the Gannel, and valuable ore travelling towards Newquay Harbour. Lappa Valley records a thirty-ton ore cargo carried to the harbour in horse-drawn tubs on 26 February 1849, using Treffry’s tramway.
The surviving engine house belongs to a later mining revival: Historic England dates it to 1881–82. It is a real remnant to look for, but not the building to picture in an 1840s scene.
Where it is
The pin identifies the surviving North Wheal (Innes) shaft engine house inside Lappa Valley. It is not the visitor entrance or the boundary of the mine.
50.362162, -5.040827 · Position source: Historic England, listing 1312395: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1312395
Approximate OSGB36-to-WGS84 conversion of listing grid SW8382355784: surviving engine house, not a vehicle entrance.
Visiting and access
Use Lappa Valley’s visitor entrance at Benny Halt, TR8 5LX. The operator says visitors reach the leisure park by train, not by walking or driving in; the engine house and chimney have no internal access. Check current admission and opening times with Lappa Valley before travelling. Access information checked 6 October 2026.
Sources
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1312395 https://gb.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101312395-engine-house-north-wheal-innes-shaft-east-wheal-rose-mine-and-associated-works-st-newlyn-east https://www.lappavalley.co.uk/heritage/minerals-railway/ Historic England, NHLE 1312395: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1312395 British Listed Buildings: https://gb.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101312395-engine-house-north-wheal-innes-shaft-east-wheal-rose-mine-and-associated-works-st-newlyn-east Lappa Valley railway history: https://www.lappavalley.co.uk/heritage/minerals-railway/ Lappa Valley FAQ: https://www.lappavalley.co.uk/visit-us/frequently-asked-questions/ Newquay Museum, Harbour of Refuge: https://newquaymuseum.org/museum-archive-collections/discover-newquay/newquay-harbour-of-refuge/
Evidence and uncertainty
The coordinates are rounded orientation, not a survey. The operational railway and unbuilt harbour proposal are separate. No imagined scene is presented as evidence.
Connected subjects
- Chiverton Wheal Rose / Trethellan Mine
- Joseph Thomas Treffry
- New Wheal Rose / Tolcarne and Rose Cliff Mine
- St Newlyn East Preaching Pit
- St Newlyna’s Church, St Newlyn East
- Treffry’s Newquay mineral tramway
- Trevemper
- William Martin, Gannel quay owner
- Lappa Valley
- St Newlyn East
- The River Gannel and its estuary
- Trerew Mine / Trerew Wheal Rose
Read on
- When Ships Sailed Up the Gannel
The families who built ships, the merchant who fought the mud, and a working river with very little interest in anyone's timetable.
- The Harbour That Would Have Turned Towan Head Into an Island
Meet the man behind Newquay’s unfinished harbour, follow the cargoes that made it worth attempting, and imagine the town that might have grown around it.
- There Was a Railway Running Out of Newquay Harbour
A load of ore could reach Newquay and still have a cliff to get down. Follow the horses, miners and winding machinery that completed the journey.
- The Ancient Circle That Isn’t — and the Ancient Circle That Is
St Newlyn East’s Preaching Pit looks ancient. Hay Close really is. Their different histories reveal how the same landscape kept finding new reasons to gather people together.
- Joseph Thomas Treffry: The Man Who Joined Cornwall’s Businesses Together
Most of us, faced with an awkward delivery, complain about the delivery company. Joseph Thomas Treffry’s approach was rather more expensive. He became involved in mines, harbours, waterways and tramways.