Geograph - photograph every grid square

This is the opencast part of the copper mine, seen from the viewing platform. Its sheer size is breathtaking, let alone the thought that most of the mountain was removed without the help of modern machinery. In addition there are miles on underground workings, all worked with picks, shovels and gunpowder. The copper was worked as early as 3,500 years ago, and was extracted during the Roman occupation of southern Britain. Intensive mining began here in the 1770s following the discovery of a rich deposit of copper ore in 1768 by Roland Puw or Jonathan Roose, depending on which of the information boards you believe.