Caradon Hill
| Caradon Hill | |||
| Cornwall | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Caradon Hill | |||
| Range: | Bodmin Moor | ||
| Summit: | 1,217 feet SX272707 50°30’38"N, 4°26’19"W | ||
Caradon Hill is a prominent hill on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The summit is 1,217 feet above sea level, at the top of the hill's great bald dome rising out of the soft lowlands of the south-east of the county, and marking the beginning of the rough, wind-scoured fastness of the moor.
The Caradon Hill transmitting station is at the top, its two tall television masts standing near the summit of Caradon Hill and broadcasting the all Cornwall and beyond.
Mining
The hill was once famous for its copper mines but these are long since closed.[1] The South Caradon Copper Mine, half a mile or so to the south-west of the transmitter mast, was the largest copper mine in the United Kingdom in its heyday, 150 years ago. Other disused copper and tin mines are scattered around the base of the hill, including the Wheal Phoenix, well-known among mineral collectors.
The ruins of the Prince of Wales engine house are prominent at Wheal Phoenix.[2]
Granite was also quarried nearby. The mining area around the south-west base of the hill form part of Crow's Nest "Site of Special Scientific Interest".
References
- ↑ "Crow's Nest". Natural England. 1999. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000274.pdf. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ↑ Linkinhorne, Caradon & Phoenix Area mineral info at Mindat.org
