Old
News from 2003
A
MEETING WITH A DIFFERENCE!
14th
of December 2003
All photographs courtesy
of Mr. John Wood.
When
PCH took over the running of Geevor, the County Council set
up a ‘committee’ called the Geevor Partnership to
bring together all those who have an interest in the mine and
its future. Members include County and District and Town Council
members and officers and representatives of bodies like the
National Trust, the Residents Association and the local Mines
Research Group.
PCH
has over the last year put all the plans fro the proposed extension
of underground access for visitors in front of the Partnership
– and they have been really supportive.
We
recently commissioned a report on the options for underground
development form David Kneebone, a very well respected local
mining engineering consultant [and an ex-Geevor manager] and
we took this to the last Partnership meeting. It was the sort
of technical study that anyone not familiar with mining would
find a bit difficult to understand. When this became clear at
the last meeting, the Chair [Colin McClary, ex-Mayor of St.
Just and an ex-Geevor man] knew exactly what to do. ‘Right’
he announced ‘the next meeting will be held in Deep Adit’.
Some members looked nonplussed but no-one dissented.
| So,
on Saturday 13th December the Partnership duly assembled
in the rain at Geevor. Gone were the smart suits and the
old school ties: a variety of boiler suits and the sort
of things people wear for gardening were in vogue. |
 |
The
group, carefully shepherded by PCH and Mines Group staff, climbed
on ladders down to the sea at the bottom of the cliff and into
the Adit.
An
Adit is a drainage level – which means water comes out
of it. An initial paddle past the steel gate that keeps out
uninvited guests led to the ‘low bit’ where the
members had to share a 3 foot high passage with about 12 inches
of water. It was a good time to ask local politicians if they
thought a bit of improvement work in that area was needed. They
all agreed . . . .
 |
Eventually
the wet and tortuous route led into the wider and spectacular
workings where in relatively modern times tin was won.
The proposed areas for the ‘tourist circuit’
were pointed out and the ways of getting people there
explained. It is a lot easier to envisage where a new
shaft will intersect a working when you are standing
there than it is to look at a diagram.
At the Shaft Station on 3rd level group photographs
were taken – the County Council sent along a photographer
with £1200 worth of nearly new camera which got
rather wet and muddy – before retracing the route
out.
|
Back in the Museum, coffee, tea and mince pies and a change
out of soaked and muddy clothing promoted a quick recovery from
an energetic mornings work.
With
the support and enthusiasm of the members of the Partnership,
PCH is confident that the project will go ahead. We are now
working on plans to persuade members of the funding bodies –
Heritage Lottery Fund, the Regional Development Agency and the
Government Office South West – that they should do a ‘site
visit’ to the underground: that will be exciting!
Bill
Lakin
