We decided to visit an old mine today...mainly because this area was known for their copper and tin mining once upon a time, and it was something different to do.
We visited the East Pool Mine, which was closed down in 1945 after quite a few years in the business. We got to see a short film about the history of mining in the area, then took a tour with a guide who explained how the conditions were for the miners (pretty bad, as you can imagine). Even though the conditions were so awful, they had no shortage of workers due to the higher pay and benefits.
There were only three main sources of jobs in the Cornwall area at the time, fishing (extremely dangerous), agriculture (a lot of hard work with not much return), and mining.
One of my pictures shows what the town looked like at the height of the mining era. Pure ugliness. It looks completely different today.
We had a guided tour of the ruins and the docent was quite knowledgeable. I learned more than I really cared to about the whole mining process. :)
We went to another of their mine museums, which was just across the street, and saw some of the pumps in action. Water was pumped out of the mines which enabled them to drill.
There was a Cornish pasty shop right next door, so we walked over and shared a chicken pasty. If you like pot pie, these are pot pies on steroids--so good and filling! We shared one and were both full.
We were both weary at this point and just wanted to get back home, but had a quick stop off at a Sainsburys, which is like a super Walmart. So nice that it's all in English. :)