Tavy and Tamar Valleys (Devon side) - Lodes 1-5

Lodes 1, 2 & 3 - Gawton Mine

The underground extent of this mine, worked in tandem with Bedford Consols from 1852 and merged in 1875, is known in detail from the late 19th century Gawton AMR. This is a remarkable document due to its highly accurate watercolour representation of the mine's surface buildings in about 1890, as viewed from the river. The pre-1875 extent of Gawton's surface buildings is shown on the 1867 Bedford Estate Map, marking the earlier beam pumping engine house on Lode 3 and the later house beside the river at Gawton Quay. A 45ft diameter water wheel was installed in 1852-3 on a precipitous site beside the river; its costs were shared with Bedford Consols until the two mines were merged. This wheel was served with Tavistock Canal water via the Gawton Leat and drove two lengths of flatrods, one very short and connecting with the adjoining Bayly's Shaft; the other longer and running steeply up the valley slope to the north-east, pumping Fullers and Sims Shafts at Bedford Consols. The lower end of this flatrod was supported on a surviving stone tower, with the bob-pit at Sims Shaft also extant.

Gawton's deep adit was driven on the strike of Lode 1 and discharged into the back of the dock at Gawton Quay, where copper-rich water still flows from the foot of the dumps. This adit was connected via a cross-cut with an adit on Bedford Consols main lode (Lode 3) which drained into Bayly's Shaft; this still contains its cast iron rising main. This redrawn section from the AMR shows the close relationship of the shaft and wheel, which also drove a roller crusher.

After its merger in 1875 with Bedford Consols, the latter mine seems largely to have been abandoned above adit, although workings on Lode 2 were sunk to 50fms below adit. Lode 1 was however sunk to 132fms below adit with extensive workings on eight levels, pumped by a 40in beam engine on Engine Shaft at the western end of the sett. From Gawton Quay nearby, an inclined plane on timber trestles led up the hillside to a pair of crusher houses built in 1890 and powered by a rotative beam engine. These buildings and the large boiler-water reservoir behind survive and are listed structures.

From the 1870s until its closure in 1901, Gawton processed arsenic; an earlier works having a calciner of Brunton or Oxland design driven by a small water wheel from the Gawton Leat, leading to a short labyrinth and a long rambling flue along the valley side. This contained a waterfall condenser near Pearce's Shaft (Lode 2), beyond which the flue climbed steeply up to a stack near the top of the wooded valley side. The later works had a battery of four Brunton calciners feeding the older flue, while a large refinery was built below the Bruntons beside the river.

A second flue and extensive labyrinth led from this, following the older flue at a higher level, rejoining the final steep flue just above the condenser chamber. Extensive remains of these flue systems survive on the steep valley side, although parts have slipped into the river, while the Bruntons survive well. The refinery house is of considerable interest as it is built of shuttered cast concrete.

Lodes 2 & 3 - Bedford Consols Mine

Worked on three levels in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Shallow Adit is open, being driven on lode for some distance in a north-easterly direction. Near its inner end, a compartmented raise contains a well preserved timber ladder and kibble road, leading to a higher internal level.

Railway remains include early 19th century bar rails and early 20th century flat bottomed rails. Middle Adit also has flat bottomed rails and is open for a short distance but blocked by a fall, although it continues to make water. Fuller's Shaft, pumped by flatrods from Bayly's Engine Wheel between 1852 and 1875 lies just inside the adit lobby, but is choked. Deep Adit is part of the Gawton Deep Adit, whose entrance is blocked, but which connects with Bayly's Engine Shaft.