Crowns engine houses, Botallack, Cornwall

The last of the Sun's rays illuminate the engine houses at Crowns, Botallack, Cornwall. The house on the left was built in 1830 and was home to a the steam engine which pumped water out of the mine. The upper engine house was known as "Pearce's Engine House" and was built in the 1850s. This housed the winding engine that pulled tram cars up and down the diagonal Boscawen shaft. This shaft was 2,500 feet long, reaching out under the sea bed at an angle of around 30 degrees. The Boscawen shaft was the location for an accident in 1863 when a chain broke when hauling men up. Nine miners lost their lives when the skip fell from the 135 level to the bottom of the shaft.

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