Levant Mine & Beam Engine


At this clifftop site, one of the world's only working beam engines is still in thunderous action. Built in 1840, these great engines were the powerhouses behind the Cornish mining boom, powering mineral trains, running lifts down into the mine shafts, and pumping water from the underground tunnels. Closed in 1930, it's since been lovingly restored by a team of enthusiasts, and is a sight to behold when it's in full steam.

Levant was also the site of one of Cornwall's worst mining disasters: in 1919 a link between the rod and engine broke, sending 31 men to their deaths. More recently, it was also used as a location in the BBC's recent Poldark adaptation; the recent addition of a parking meter to the car park outside the site caused a local uproar, with accusations that the NT was attempting to cash in on the site's newly acquired popularity.


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