Summary

The headframe over Vivian's Shaft at Great Condurrow Mine.

Description

The headframe over Vivian's Shaft at Great Condurrow Mine survives as a small steel girder structure which was designed by Head Wrightson & Co. Ltd. Of Thornaby-on-Tees in 1936, built by Holman Bros. of Camborne and erected by the staff and students of King Edward Mine in early 1937.

The headframe takes the form of a steel girder tower set directly over the winding shaft and is braced by a pair of extended legs called boomstays. The entire frame is braced and triangulated for strength and is set on elongated bearers which are bolted down to a levelled platform surrounding the shaft opening.

History

The headframe is situated within the western part of Great Condurrow Mine which between 1845 and 1876 was a major tin and copper producer employing over 380 people at its height. The headframe was erected over Vivian's Shaft, which was previously known as East Shaft, in 1937 by the staff and students of King Edward Mine. In recent years the headframe, associated buildings and underground workings provided a training facility for the Camborne School of Mines.
It is the only known surviving headframe in the United Kingdom which was specifically built for training purposes.

Reasons for Listing

The headframe at Vivian's Shaft, Great Condurrow Mine is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest: it is the oldest surviving intact example of a headframe in Cornwall and the only surviving one in the United Kingdom which was built solely for training purposes and used by generations of mining students who have influenced mining activities throughout the world
Rarity: it is a rare and good example of the smaller type of headframe, once a common feature of the mining landscape

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675500

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
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  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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