Great Wheal Busy operated a series of ENE-trending lodes within metamorphosed killas. The site was intersected by an elvan dyke, heavily impregnated with sulphide ores in some sections. The primary ore bodies were Winter’s lode and Chacewater lode, situated in the hanging wall and footwall of the elvan, respectively, along with Hodge’s lode in the footwall of Chacewater lode. These were accessed via shafts arranged in two lines approximately 100 yards apart, still identifiable in the field. Wheal Vor lode, south of the elvan, was worked from another group of shafts near the Redruth-Chacewater road. Additional lodes, receiving minimal attention, trended north of the elvan roughly parallel to it.

Initially operating as Great Wheal Busy United Mine, it incorporated Hallenbeagle Mine, Great North Downs Mine, and other smaller mines in the vicinity. The mine commenced operations as early as 1718, primarily focusing on copper, although early production records are unavailable. From 1815 to 1870, significant copper output was recorded, with the majority extracted before 1856, when the mine reached 100 fathoms below Deep Adit level. Further sinking in 1856 extended operations by an additional 40 fathoms, during which both tin and copper ores were extracted over the following decade. Subsequently, the mine shifted its focus to arsenic production. In the early 20th century, efforts were made to extract arsenic and wolfram from the dumps. Numerous shafts, spoil heaps, a calciner, engine houses, and a smithy remain scattered across a vast area north of the Redruth-Chacewater road.

1811-1870 1871-1900 1909- 1871-1900