The south-bank works near Crantock that received Newquay’s lead and silver ores.
Newquay’s lead and silver ores were taken across the Gannel to a smelting works on the Crantock side. Archaeologist James Gossip identifies the works north-west of Penpol.
This was another workplace in the chain between a mine and usable metal. Getting ore above ground did not finish the job: it still had to reach the people and equipment that would process it.
Slag recorded along the shore is evidence of that work. It does not tell us the workers’ names or exactly how they travelled there.
Sources
https://cornisharchaeology.org.uk/app/uploads/2022/08/No.39-40_2000-2001.pdf https://newquayplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/csus_newquay_report.pdf https://www.mindat.org/loc-7921.html
Connected subjects
Read on
- The Smelter on the Other Side of the Gannel
Ore from Newquay crossed the Gannel to be processed near Crantock. A forgotten works connects the town’s mines to the opposite bank.
- The Mine Beneath Mount Wise: Putting Newquay’s Lead and Silver Back on the Map
A mine beneath a familiar view, children whose wages went straight home, and a hillside that kept finding new jobs after the digging stopped.
- 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.