Devon Great Consols

This is opencast mining for copper and arsenic near the stannary town of Tavistock in Devon. The sixty-seven hectares is being reworked by Redcaves Ltd. The Devon Great Consol Tavistock district includes the mines of Wheal Maria, Wheal Fanny, Wheal Anna Maria, Wheal Joisah and Wheal Emma, Wheal Frementor, Watsons Mine, Bedford United and Frementor. As a stannary town Tavistock would have been an important administrative centre for tin back in the day.

The copper mine was owned by the Devonshire Great Consolidated Copper Mining Company who leased the land from the Duke of Bedford and was located near Morwellham in Devon and production started in 1844 at North Bedford Mines or Wheal Maria. By the 1870s arsenic had been discovered. This was the posh drug of choice for Victorians and their pale skin complexions and was also used as pigment dyes, like London Purple. Arsenic extraction continued until 1903 when the mines gradually closed down. Arsenic was found to be toxic and was later used as insecticide. The land surrounding the mine is still heavily contaminated. William Morris of the Arts and Crafts Movement was a shareholder and director in this mine.