Wheal Droskyn
There are remains of a tin mine at Droskyn Point, visible as various holes in the rocks at low tide. The large hole with a grille is thought to be a wheel pit, as waterwheels were used heavily as a source of power before steam engines. An early feature of the mine was a waterwheel 22 feet in diameter, housed in a chamber carved out of the rock. This was fed by a 700 foot long tunnel passing beneath Tywarnhayle Road which connects to a leat that channelled water for 2 miles from the stream in Perran Coombe. The waste water was then fed through a further tunnel to another shaft where it drove a second waterwheel. It is recommended that you avoid exploring the holes in the rocks as there are vertical shafts; a young girl fell down a shaft from an adit at Perranporth in 2010 and died (though that particular opening and two others have since been covered with grilles).
On the top of Droskyn Point is a grassy platform below the coast path with a covered mineshaft. In the rocks surrounding this are shallow surface workings which are thought to be perhaps the oldest in Cornwall dating back to prehistoric times. Fires were used to heat the rock face which was then cooled suddenly with cold water to crack the rocks. Cracks could then be levered apart by hammering in wooden wedges and soaking these in water to expand them.
In the 19th Century the mine was merged into the Perran St George complex.
On walks
- Perranporth to St Agnes (via bus) (4.7 mile walk)
- Perranporth to Trevellas (5.7 mile walk)
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