Book your visit
Please note you need to book tickets for East Pool Mine and Michell's Engine House. You can book on the day for East Pool Mine tours. Every Thursday time slots will be available for the next 14 days.
Things to see at East Pool Mine
Explore the above-ground workings of East Pool Mine on a guided tour. With its complex of buildings and machinery, including one of the largest Cornish pumping engines, there are plenty of things to discover.
Guided tours at East Pool Mine
Book a guided tour to discover the complex of buildings that remain testament to Cornwall’s mining past, in one of the few Cornish mines that worked into the 20th century.
Walk through the brick flue tunnel with its curved edges as it bends and turns; look out for the abandoned mining machinery from old boilers and skip carts; see an example of the cages that would have been full of miners descending into the shafts and learn the mine’s fascinating history.
Tours run from Sunday through to Thursday.
Michell's Engine House
Book a visit to Michell's Engine House and enjoy a self- led visit to see the last whim engine built in Cornwall. Michell's Engine House is located on Agar Rd 0.3 miles away from the main East Pool site. Spaces are limited and we strongly urge you to book your visit in advance. Open Monday to Thursday.
Mining on film
As part of the guided tour, you'll see a short film that brings to life the story of mining and its importance in Cornwall. Through modern and archival footage, discover more about the World Heritage Site and find out what was mined and more about the people who worked here.
The boiler room
The information panels here paint a view of what life was like in the mine over 100 years ago. Cast your eyes over the models and cross-section diagrams to see what it was truly like in a mine.
Tunnel and chimney
Leave the boiler room through the gently winding brick-built flue tunnel. The flue is linked to the large chimney or stack and you can get right inside it to see where waste gases were pumped out. Standing in this spot at the base of the chimney you can look up to the sky above.
Taylor's Engine House and Beam Engine
Taylor’s Engine House was once the very heart of East Pool Mine. Completed in 1924, it houses the pumping engine, which is the third-largest ever made and ran 24 hours a day.
Taylor's engine was built in 1892 in the local foundry at Harvey & Co of Hayle and is one of the largest Cornish engines left in existence. The engine was built to pump water from the deep Carn Brea Mines. In 1924 it was moved to its present site.
The 52-tonne beam
Look out for the cast iron beam at the top is called a ‘bob’. The bob is a staggering 10 metres in length and weighs over 52 tonnes. Look out for the working model of the mechanism in the visitor reception.
Saving the mine
When East Pool Mine closed in 1945 the engine was likely to be scrapped for metal. It was purchased for preservation by an American engineer-historian, who gave it to the Cornish Engines Preservation Society. They, in turn, gave it to the National Trust in 1967.
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Booking your visit to East Pool Mine
East Pool Mine is open for guided tours and it is recommended that you book your visit in advance. If you're planning a visit to East Pool Mine, read this article to find out everything you need to know.