King Edward Mine

King Edward Mine is the eastern part of the South Condurrow Mine, which was worked commercially until it was abandoned in 1890. In 1897, the mine was acquired by the world renowned Camborne School of Mines and developed as a fully operational training mine by the school, with funding being provided by the sale of the tin produced. All buildings from this period have survived, making the mine a unique surviving example of a late C19 Cornish tin mine. In 1974 the pilot plant and most of the teaching was transferred to the main School of Mines building in the centre of Camborne, and in 1987 a volunteer group was formed with the aim of conserving the site as an educational resource for the future. Using rescued machinery, the the mill has been restored to its working condition as it would have been at the end of the nineteenth century. Cornwall Council bought the site in 2005 when it was no longer required by the School of Mines.

The two main elements of the project are the conversion of the Assay office to a destination café to serve the Museum, Mineral Tramway Activity Trails, and businesses on the site, and the conversion of the Boiler House to provide an exhibition and interpretation space.

The project involves the repair of very fragile Grade II* listed industrial buildings, and in the case of the Assay complex, the design and construction of a new extension. Castria worked with specialist exhibition designers and activity planners to deliver these projects. The remainder of the project involves the repair of the structure and fabric of the remainder of the Grade 2* listed buildings on the site. These are mainly timber framed, with timber, fibre cement and corrugated steel cladding, typical of the mining buildings of the time. Castria provided a full range of services including conservation architectural, structural, civil and mechanical and electrical engineering services for the HLF Round 2 application, and the Delivery Phase of the project.