Poldark mine to get 'facelift' by Cornwall College students

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Aidan Turner in character as Ross Poldark
Image caption,

The mine owners say its popularity has been boosted due to the recent BBC television series Poldark

A mine, which has been made popular again by the recent BBC series Poldark, is to get a "facelift".

Machinery that used to be "the heart" of Poldark Mine is to be restored by Cornwall College engineering students.

The tin mine, which is open to the public, is one of the oldest industrial structures in the UK, its owner said.

It is believed that the renovation project on the mine at Wendron near Helston could take several years to complete.

David Edwards, who bought it last year, said the machinery on site "has suffered after 14 years of little or no investment" but that the recent BBC television series has prompted the need for it to be rejuvenated.

Poldark MineImage source, Poldark Mine
Image caption,

The mine has been open to the public for 40 years

"Poldark definitely had an impact for us, it brought more people in buying bookmarks and taking a tour of the mine," he said.

"The challenge now is to restore the machinery we have on display and get it back in order so that it is more interesting to the public.

"This has been a place of industry since the 1400s, one of the oldest industrial structures in the UK, so keeping it going is vital for Cornwall's heritage."

Luke Bazeley, an engineering lecturer at Cornwall College, said: "We always try to give the students work experience and this is the perfect live project to work on - they've loved visiting the site and finding out more about Cornwall's heritage."

He added the students will need to do some research to find replacement parts for the machinery.

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