A circular path leads through the old slate tips, past the quarry pit (now a lake with a small waterfall) and up to the engine house which has good views of the valley and coastline. The engine house here is the only one preserved in North Cornwall. You can safely wander around inside (there are grilles covering the pit where the beam engine once was).
Cornwall's iconic engine houses were built to house huge beam engines (a type of steam engine with a pivoting beam) which powered pumps to stop the quarry pits and mines from flooding as water trickled into them from above. The engine house in Trewarmett was built in 1870 and the beam engine installed in 1871 was used to drive a wire ropeway to haul slate as well as pumping water out the quarry pit (which is now a lake). The slate quarried here was Cornish blue slate from the Upper Devonian Penpethy Beds.
The slate tips have now been colonised by wildflowers. Wild honeysuckle, gorse, foxgloves and heather make an attractive scented floral display throughout the summer. In June, some large elder trees are in flower - ideal if you fancy making elderflower cordial. In Autumn there are blackberries, sloes and elderberries.
Directions
Turn right out of Park Farm and head down Trewarmett Hill. Continue past the turnings on the right to Trebarwith Strand and Bowithick Hill leading up to Delabole. 100 yards past Bowithick hill there is a short track on the left leading up into the quarry with parking for a few cars.
More info
- Satellite map of the Prince of Wales quarry
- Photos of the quarry on the TintagelWeb site
- More about how engine houses worked
- If you're interested in the history of Cornish quarrying and mining, you may want to visit Poldark Mine near Cambourne (about an hour's drive). Richard Williams, the owner, is extremely knowledgable on the history of Cornish mining.
