They are about 4 miles from our place in Cornwall, lovely area. I have some of my photos of them somewhere.Cornwall’s ruined tin mines have been named among the world’s 27 ‘must see places before you die’ by a top US broadcaster.
Perched on the cliff edge near St Just, Penzance, the mines, have been chosen alongside the likes of the Northern Lights, Sydney Harbour and the Taj Mahal as a must-see destination.
The ruins of the structures which once housed the mining machinery are a 'dramatic counterpoint' to the rugged rocks and wild seas of Cornwall’s north coast, according to the list by CNN.
Around 3,000 engine houses were built in the 18th and 19th centuries but the last closed in the 1930s and the remains were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
Visitors can walk heritage trails, go underground to see how the miners laboured, pan for minerals and gems or bike the 31-kilometre Cornwall Mineral Tramway trail.
Count House at Botallack at St Just is one of the most stunning locations and stands on the cliffs of the Crowns Mine. It was the hub of the day-to-day running of the mine and was also where the miners collected their pay.
CNN said: 'The tin mines may be closed, but the ruins of the structures which once housed them near St Just make a thrillingly dramatic counterpoint to the rugged rocks and wild seas of Cornwall’s north coast.'
The mines are among three places in Britain which made the list, just scraping in at number 27.
Witnessing a starling murmuration at Brighton Pier made number two in the list, while the Lake District made it at number 24.
Topping the list is Borobudur at sunrise in Java, Indonesia, with the Brighton starlings a close second.
Third is the Northern Lights in Scandinavia, followed closely by the great migration in East Africa.
The fifth and six spot is filled by the star-filled sky, in New Zealand and the Torres del Paine in Chile.
Morocco’s Djemaa el Fna is in seventh place and California’s Yosemite peaks is the eight must see place to see before death.
Number nine is Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, the Jungle pyramids in Mexico is number ten and 11 is the electrical storm in Tornado Alley, USA.
The famous Sydney Harbour comes in at 12, with the inside of Thrihnukagigur volcano in Iceland at 13.
Number 14 is Monument Valley in the US and 15 is India’s Taj Mahal.
The Kasanka bat migration in Zambia, Carlsbad Cavern in America, Lunar rainbow in Zambia and Shubenacadie tidal bore in Canada take the 16,17,18 and 19 spots.
Cape Tribulation in Australia, Rock Face City of Petra in Jordan, Enrosadira in Italy and Fairy Chimneys in Turkey take up the spots from 20 to 23.
England’s Lake District is at 24, with the Sardine run in South Africa at 25.
The last two spaces are filled by the pristine beaches of Islas Cies in Spain and finally, Cornwall’s ruined mines come in at 27.
CNN said: 'There are some things you can see around the world that have the potential to give you photo-showing rights for decades.
'We haven’t got them all - in fact we barely scratched the surface. But we have picked out a few of the scenes that, if you’re lucky enough to witness them, will invariably leave you spellbound.'
Taj, Mahal check! Pyramids check! Sydney Opera House Check!
Taj, Mahal check! Pyramids check! Sydney Opera House Check!
St Just tin mines?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Taj, Mahal check! Pyramids check! Sydney Opera House Che
Cornwall's ruined Tin Mines ..... Check.
Bah!
Re: Taj, Mahal check! Pyramids check! Sydney Opera House Che
They may not be ruined much longer....
(Joke; The reopening one is an inland one.)A plan to restart tin mining in Cornwall has been given a boost, with further investment from North America.
Canadian and US investors have now put more money in to South Crofty mine at Pool - increasing their stake in the mining company to 25%.
South Crofty closed in 1998 after the price of tin hit an all time low, a decrease which started in 1985.
Contracts giving Western United Mine ownership of South Crofty land were signed in May.
It has said it wants to extract tin and other metals at the mine and hopes to create at least 220 jobs.
Tin prices have been rising for the last six years.
Neil Gallacher, BBC South West's business correspondent said: "It's not such much the scale of it, but it confirms this project is still moving forward.
"It can only happen in stages and they need tens more millions of pounds to get to the stage when they can start mining commercially, and that's without pumping the mine dry."
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”