Wheal Busy

Wheal Busy

There were probably mine workings in the area of Wheal Busy since the 16th century and it was originally known as Chacewater Mine. In the 1720s the mine started to produce large amounts of copper ore over its lifetime produced over 100,000 tons of copper ore. By the 1860s the mine was losing money, and in 1866 the mine owners attempted to reduce losses by taxing miners' earnings. This did not go down well and resulted in miners "attempting to blow up the boilers, laying trails of powder about the barracks, setting fire to the clothes in the dry, throwing large pieces of iron in the pumps, and other villainous acts.". The mine closed shortly after this.

In the early 20th Century the mine was reworked for arsenic and much of what remains is from this period including one of the best surviving examples of an arsenic process system.

On walks

Get the iWalkCornwall app

Phone showing walk for purchase
Download the app and use it to explore the walks and to purchase a guided route.
Phone showing Google navigation to start of walk
The app will direct you to the start of the walk via satnav.
Hand holding a phone showing the iWalk Cornwall app
The app guides you around the walk using GPS, removing any worries about getting lost.
Phone showing walk directions page in the iWalk Cornwall app
The walk route is described with detailed, regularly-updated, hand-written directions.
Person looking a directions on phone
Each time there is a new direction to follow, the app will beep to remind you, and will warn you if you go off-route.
Phone showing walk map page in the iWalk Cornwall app
A map shows the route, where you are at all times and even which way you are facing.
Phone showing facts section in iWalk Cornwall app
Each walk is packed with information about the history and nature along the route, from over a decade of research than spans more than 3,000 topics.
Person looking at phone with cliff scenery in background
Once a walk is downloaded, the app doesn't need a phone or wifi signal during the walk.
Phone showing walk stats in the iWalk Cornwall app
The app counts down distance to the next direction and estimates time remaining based on your personal walking speed.
Person repairing footpath sign
We keep the directions continually updated for changes to the paths/landmarks - the price for a walk includes ongoing free updates.