Fire engine in 1748. The Wheal Reeth sett is located between Trink Hill and Nancledra in Towednack parish, approximately two and a half miles southwest of St. Ives. It was part of the Reeth Consols group, along with Wheal Durloe, Giew Mine, and Billia Consols. These mines worked tin lodes on the southern slopes of Trink Hill near the moorland village of Cripplesease. Nearby mines included Wheal Sisters, Wheal Kitty, and Wheal Trencrom to the southeast, and Balnoon Consols and Worvas Downs to the northeast. To the north lay the copper and tin mine of Tyringham Consols. They collectively lay close to the southeastern boundary between the Lands End Granite and the Killas-Greenstone country rock around Canon’s Town.

The main lodes ran southwest to northeast, with the underlie to the southeast. Wheal Durloe worked Durloe Lode just west of the B3311 road at Cripplesease, while Wheal Reeth worked four lodes including Durloe Lode, North Lode, and South Lode. Reeth worked Durloe Lode from Trewhella’s Shaft, West Whim Shaft, Durloe Shaft, and Magy’s Shaft. Durloe Lode to the east of the B3311 was worked from Davey’s Shaft and Unity Shaft. North Lode was cut by Reeth Shaft, Boundary Shaft (also known as Banbury Shaft), Bag’s Shaft, Garden (or Engine) Shaft, Monster’s Shaft, and Trink Shaft. South Lode was explored from Ned’s (Stvens’) Shaft and New or Frederick’s Shaft.

The mine dates back to at least 1835, as reported by Thomas Spargo in his book ‘Statistics and Observations on the Mines of Cornwall and Devon’ (1865). Billia Consols, in Towednack, Cornwall, was operated in 1,000 shares with Mr. J. B. Coulson as Purser and Captain Richard Blight as Manager. The mineral sold in 1864 consisted of 66 tons, 12 cwt., 1 qrc., and 17 lbs of black tin for £4,132 16/- 6d. Wheal Reeth was not a large tin producer, raising 1,955 tons of black tin for the periods of 1837-1839 and 1853 to 1867. Wheal Durloe produced 462 tons of black tin in the five years between 1859 and 1864.

1785-181 1812-1842 1844-1867