Wheal Langford (Baring and Langford Mine; New Wheal Langford; East Cornwall Silver Mine; Wheal St Vincent; St Vincent Great Consols), Callington, Callington District, Cornwall, England, UK
SilverWheal Langford, Callington, Callington District, Cornwall, England, UK
Photo: Ian Jones UK Grid Reference: SX385696
Latitude: 50°30'11"N
Longitude: 4°16'39"W
Refs: Hamilton Jenkin XV 1969. Dines 1956.
Langford mine as well as a number of changes of name it also included several smaller mines. (Wheal David, Mercer, Emily, Georgiana, Mexico and Wheal Virgin).
The mines appear to have opened sometime befor 1824 under the name Wheal St.Vincent, the same lode was worked to the west as Wheal Mexico. Where it is recorded that it produced considerable amounts of chloride of silver (Chlorargyrite). In 1835 these two mines and several otheres were amalgemated under the name East Cornwall Silver Mines. In this working most of the development appears to have been at Wheal Mexico, Georgiana, David and Wheal Virgin. At Wheal Mexico the silver berring portion of the lode is recorded as being 15cms wide in a lode of 35cms. Whiel at Wheal Virgin the lode was producing 50oz per ton. The mine also had its own smelter and refining plant. Of interest is that this small group of mines was pumped by a large 80inch Cornish beam engine. When the mines closed in 1837, the engine was purchased for 7600 uk pounds by the East London Waterworkss at Old Ford (a print of this engine is in The Cornish Beam Engine by D.B.Barton). This was the first time a beam engine had been used in a waterworks. The mines where reopened in 1848 under the name of Wheal Langford, and appear to have been more vigerous in there attemps to develop the group. Thay produced small parcels of mostly agentiferous galena. The majority of rich silver ores appear to have already been worked out by this time. The mines closed again in 1856 having been developed to a 40 fathom level below adit (10 fathoms) on the silver deposit. Most of the stoped out area is west of Engine shaft from above adit level to a 10 fathom level. Stopeing elsewere is small and very patchy. The last recorded working was in 1884-90 when it was at work as New Langford.
Recorded output is small.
79 tons of lead ore
25 tons of zinc ore
10 tons of manganese
2530 oz of silver ( from 52 tons of lead ore)
3.5 tons of silver ore.
Mineral List
12 entries listed. 11 valid minerals.
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