Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry: This is currently occupied and operated by Goonvean Aggregates 2016. The quarry is actually shut but Goonvean process the waste from the China Clay Pits operated by Imerys. They produce sand, gravel and aggregates in large quantities.
Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.1 – The entrance to quarry. On a baking hot Sunday afternoon, two Cat loaders sit quietly.
China Stone occurs on the St Austell granite of Cornwall. It is characterised by low iron content and high alkalies. It made an excellent flux for the ceramics industry.
Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.2 – This is the weighbridge at the entrance to the quarry. In the background the first glimpse of machinery.
Different grades were produced such as Hard Purple, Mild Purple and Hard White with most sales to milling companies in Stoke on Trent, such as Dalehall Mills.
Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.3 – The first view of the main screening plant. So looking like something from outer space.
They milled 4″ lumps to powder and sold this on in slurry form to Royal Doulton and others, for use in bone china. This was the last China Stone Quarry closing during 2006.
Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.4 – A closer image of the plant with the piles of processed gravel piled infront. In the centre of the arms is a vibratory stone crusher unit.Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.5 – The central section of the plant with the different grades of gravel in the foreground.Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.6 – Vertical and straight lines make an interesting image.Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.7 – A closer view of the previous image, piles of processed gravel can be seen behind.Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.8 – One of the secondary crushers.Great Wheal Prosper Stone Quarry 1.9 – This was such an amazing area for photography, this shows the conveyors leading to the secondary crusher.Cornish Mine Images 1.10 – Conveyors leading to and from everywhere.Cornish Mine Images 1.11 – An image of machinery below one of the crushers with the conveyors leading away in the background.Cornish Mine Images 1.12 – With so many conveyor belts it must make quite a racket when it’s working.Cornish Mine Images 1.13 – Piles of crushed and sorted rocks, in the background is the screening plant.Cornish Mine Images 1.14 – The end of one of the conveyor belts.Cornish Mine Images 1.15 – Another closer image of the screening plant where the rock is sorted by size.Cornish Mine Images 1.16 – A view along the walkways alongside one of the conveyor belts. Along the conveyor is an emergency stop string.Cornish Mine Images 1.17 – This image was taken further up the walkway, on the left is one of the other conveyors.Cornish Mine Images 1.18 – This walkway gives the image an interesting perspective.Cornish Mine Images 1.19 – Finally the conveyor on the other side.
On a site like this I was in photographic heaven. I shot so many films and only gave up when I realised I had nothing to drink. The heat in there was oppressive.
This site is on private property. It should not be entered without permission, a suitable escort and health and safety equipment.
