World Heritage and Industrial Archaeology on Minions Moor: Cars, Cattle and Commoners

Summary

Tin and copper mining on Minions Moor (Cornwall, England) was a relatively brief interlude in the traditional economy of the moor, which is largely based around grazing. In 1836 rich reserves of copper were discovered here, leading to mass immigration and the development of moorland settlements. The ensuing mining boom turned to bust after only 40 years. As the industrial wasteland began to green-over grazing practices were gradually reintroduced. The moor today is commonly seen as a ‘natural’ environment despite its industrial remains. Increasing heritigisation and tourist traffic leads some locals to rue the fact that there are ‘more cars/more people’ on the moor. This paper focuses specifically on tensions between the graziers who hold ‘right of common’ and the continuing valorisation of industrial archaeology on the moor.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Current Postgraduate Research In Post-Medieval Archaeology In The UK: A Society For Post-Medieval Archaeology Sponsored Session   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 555