Engine House at Sw53783104

The engine house at Tregurtha Downs Mine, built around 1880, is a Grade II listed structure designed to house an 80-inch pumping engine. It is primarily constructed of granite rubble with granite ashlar forming the bob wall, which is currently overgrown with ivy. The building features original iron tie rods running the length of each wall and retains some remnants of a scantle slate roof along with boarded studwork above the bob wall.

The engine house has a rectangular plan, characterized by a thicker bob wall that includes a narrow doorway on the east side and a large boiler doorway on the west gable end. The engine that was housed here was relocated to South Crofty in 1903 and is still extant.

The exterior showcases a tall plinth and features arched doorways on both the front and rear walls, as well as arched stair windows on each wing wall. The bob wall arch is particularly notable, while other openings consist of tall rectangular windows—three on each floor of the wing walls and two pairs above the boiler doorway—along with a blind oculus with a brick cross on the gable end. Remnants of the original window frames can still be seen.

Inside, the engine house retains its original scissor-truss roof structure, a pit located towards the bob wall, and a round dressed granite cylinder platform. The engine that was originally fitted to this house was constructed by Copperhouse Foundry in Hayle, designed by Samuel Grose. It was initially installed at Wheal Alfred Consols, then moved to Crenver, and subsequently to Tregurtha Downs. This engine house shares a similar design with an unfinished structure at nearby Tregurtha Farm and with East Wheal Rose, a lead mine.