Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape
Much of Cornwall and West Devon’s landscape was transformed by the rapid development of copper and tin mining in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Its deep underground mines, engine houses, foundries, new towns, small farms, ports and harbours, and their supporting industries, together reflect a wealth of innovation that enabled the region to produce two-thirds of the world’s copper in the early 19th century. Numerous remains bear witness to Cornwall and West Devon’s contribution to the Industrial Revolution in the rest of Britain, and the region’s fundamental influence on the mining world as a whole. Cornish technology such as engines, engine houses and mining equipment was exported around the world. Cornwall and West Devon was at the heart of the rapid spread of mining technology.