It may seem like a strange thing to include visiting the Botallack tin mines in Cornwall in my bucket list of sites to see but is has long been an ambition of mine to go there. Not because the landscape was made famous by TV shows like Poldark but because of the real history of the place has always fascinated me; the hardships of the men who put their lives at risk deep under ground, the families who supported them and the harsh conditions they endured. The site is managed by the National Trust and is genuinely a national treasure.
Although I was only in Cornwall for a few days I was pretty determined that I would get here and I was so pleased that I did. After visiting Land's End which was fun (watching a shoal of Tuna feeding down below the headland) it was also too commercialised and far too busy for my liking, a short drive up to Botallack was definitely the right move. For a start it was much more peaceful, there was hardly anyone else around, and the scenery was even more impressive. The industrial architecture was stunning and it was quite an adventure finding the right angles to photograph from. I got into a bit of trouble as I clambered up and down the slopes but the slight risks I took seemed insignificant compared to those taken by the men and women who made a living here many years ago.
I visited at the end of a sunny but blustery day at the beginning of October and I tried to imagine how challenging it must have been when the weather conditions were less favourable, or even quite hostile as I am sure they can be on such an exposed landscape.
Below is a small selection of the images I took on the day (I have more that I may share another time). I chose to do mostly black and white images because they are more dramatic than the colour images and I felt they were more evocative of the period when this place was in use. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
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