Both copper and tin were mined here, but it was
tin that extended the life of this mine for some 15 years beyond
that of South Caradon, and tin that explains its later, and most
impressive, archaeology. Wheal Phoenix worked from 1840 until
1897.
Phoenix Mine, Prince of Wales Shaft, (1907, Listed
Grade II) has an outstanding engine house that was built for the
last big pumping engine made in Cornwall (by Holman’s Foundry,
Camborne). It is a distinctive landmark within the Area and is a
monument to spectacular failure and misplaced optimism. The
adjacent single-phase group of buildings includes the remains of
the boiler house, compressor house, winding-engine house and mill.
