Blowing House Cottage

SW 63 SW BREAGE GODOLPHIN

4/63 Blowing House Cottage 1.5.86 GV II

Cottage incorporating tin stamps. C17, with cottage mostly C18 extended into stamps C20. Painted granite rubble walls, painted roughcast blockwork, slate sills and dry slate roof. Early C18 rubble stack with slate drip and tapered top on right hand gable, C20 chimney on left hand gable. The cottage plan with near-central entrance to lobby and stair between two rooms. Left hand end has stamps with back and side walls of stone, front wall originally open (built up C20 in rendered blockwork work and gable and rear walls raised) C20 extension rear left giving overall L-shaped plan. 2 stories. South front has roughly symmetrical 3 window cottage to right with original front door now a C20 window and circa early C19 hornless sashes to first floor, C20 horned copies to ground floor. C20 two window extension built into stamps left. In front of this the 'plat' (platform) for stacking the tin ore and an ancient stone lined pit for the overshot waterwheel which powered the stamps (in use till 1920's). Interior: Right hand room has large original quoined fireplace with C20 granite lintel (replacing timber) and early C18 granite lined oven. This: building, though much altered, is part of the historically very important Godolphin tin works. Sir Francis Godolphin was a great innovator in the tin industry and introduced the process of 'wet stamping' whereby water ran through the ore under the heads of the stamping mill. The storage pond, leat system and 'buddle pits' (circular tanks in which the ore was separated from other materials by agitation) exist as does the 'blowing house' itself (q.v.) This is a site of crucial importance to industrial archaeology. Information via John Schofield from S. E. Schofield who found and investigated the site in the 1950's; De Re Metalica by Georgius Agricola 1556, Survey of Cornwall by Richard Carew 1602.

Listing NGR: SW6031632052