Drilling for Minions

Reporter John Doyle investigates moves by Geevor Mine Company to bore 100 holes to prospect for new ore around the Withybrook Valley on Bodmin Moor and sites of the disused Phoenix United, Marke Valley, Craddock Moor, South Caradon, South Phoenix and Gonamena Mines. The Phoenix mine operated initially by Cornwall Great United Mines as Wheal Prosper (wheal is the Celtic word for mine) ceased operations in 1914. The drilling for Minions and its residents is not welcome.

Copper, tin and lead were the original source of mining ore deposits in Cornwall – with other minerals being incidental, arsenic, kaolin, silver, uranium and zinc with some gold deposits. Kaolin is still mined in Cornwall and tungsten mining at Hemerdon on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon is a recent operation. The Minions area is surrounded by former mines and with the Crow’s Nest form a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of rare mosses, liverworts and lichens that have colonised the mining-affected soils. Minions Heritage Centre opened in Housemans Engine House on the site of the South Phoenix Mine and the mining importance of Cornwall and West Devon is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.