United Kingdom
England
South West England
Devon
West Devon
Gulworthy
Wheal Anna Maria Calciner Complex
United Kingdom
England
South West England
Devon
West Devon
Gulworthy
Wheal Anna Maria Calciner Complex
Mountain Biking Highlight
Recommended by 15 mountain bikers
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Tamar Valley National Landscape
Location: Gulworthy, West Devon, Devon, South West England, England, United Kingdom
Wheal Anna Maria was originally a copper and later an arsenic mine. The biggest arsenic mine in the world.
The ruins you can see are from the arsenic calcining complex where the arsenic-ore was crushed then roasted (calcinated). The white powder of arsenic would coat the walls of the flues and be scraped off by men and children. They were protected from the extremely toxic poison only by cotton wool in their ears and noses and rags covering their mouths! They even had to scrape the white powder off their boots before going home.
October 28, 2022
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