THE TOLGUS TIN MILL
Step back in time and discover the process of tin streaming and how tin ore recovered from the stream is smelted on-site to create exquisite Cornish jewellery. It’s FREE to enter our ancient tin mill and to enjoy our new interactive exhibition.
Plus we have a large dog friendly café on site, free parking and free panning for gold – which can be enjoyed by all ages!
We are proud to protect this unique piece of Cornish heritage for future generations.
Step back in time and discover the process of tin streaming and how tin ore recovered from the stream is smelted on-site to create exquisite Cornish jewellery. It’s FREE to enter our ancient tin mill and to enjoy our new interactive exhibition.
Plus we have a large dog friendly café, free parking and free panning for gold – which can be enjoyed by all ages!
We are proud to protect this unique piece of Cornish heritage for future generations.
We are restoring the mill’s roof by hand to preserve history for generations to come. Read more about the tin mill restoration here.
STEP INSIDE AND SEE HOW TIN IS PRODUCED
step one - crushing
The first step of the Tolgus Mill is to use huge stamps to crush the rocks into ‘sands’ and even finer ‘slimes’, releasing the tin that’s bound within the rock.
step two - separating
Once it’s crushed the mill uses an array of ingenious Cornish machinery, like a shaking table, to separate this black tin ore (Tin Oxide – SnO2) from the crushed rock.
step three - purifying
When a high percentage of black tin ore is reached, we smelt it by heating it to around 1400°C with coal to remove the oxygen and create pure, shiny white tin.
Step four - regenerating
By incorporating the tin we mill into our Tolgus jewellery collection, we are sustainably protecting and maintaining Tolgus – the last working Cornish tin streaming mill.
CORNISH HERITAGE REVIVED ALIVE RESTORED
NEW! Tolgus Exhibition
FREE! Tolgus Exhibition
Our latest exhibition will allow you to discover the history behind Tolgus, see how it worked, discover the machinery and much more. Learn how rock from local tin mills was pulverised, and explore the ingenuity and human stories behind this last working link to Cornwall’s past.
DID YOU KNOW?
