Houseman’s Engine House was part of the 19th-century South Phoenix Mine complex. It was transformed into Minions Heritage Centre in the 1990s.
The centre closed in early 2020 and the building is not currently open to the public.
The last of its kind
South Phoenix Mine complex was originally opened as Wheal Prosper in the 1830s. In 1836, it was amalgamated with other small mines to form the Cornwall Great United Mines and was later renamed Wheal Phoenix and then South Phoenix. Copper was originally mined at the site, although, as reserves of this diminished, the mine changed to extracting tin.
Houseman’s Engine House was likely added to the site in 1881 and named in honour of the Company Chairman at the time. It sat over Houseman’s Shaft and was built for the last big pumping engine made in Cornwall. This was fabricated at Holman’s Foundry in Camborne.
Prior to 1885, the mine was producing more tin than all the other Cornish mines except for Dolcoath and East Pool.
Rise and fall
Despite its prolific output, the mine did not stay open long and was liquidated in 1885 due to market forces.
In 1887, the mine reopened again as South Phoenix Ltd and there was some increase in production during this period. This led to the shaft being deepened and new dressing floors built, but work was suspended in 1892 and the mine abandoned in 1893. The shafts had to be sunk ever deeper and the price of copper and tin continued to slump.
The mine survived for longer than many of its neighbours by cutting the workforce and lowering wages but, by 1894, the company was in the hands of insolvency officials. By 1898, it was abandoned, the equipment sold for scrap and most of the buildings demolished.
Modern transformations
The engine house was purchased and restored by Caradon District Council in the 1990s as part of the Minions area heritage project. The project saw the building transformed into Minions Heritage Centre – a free-to-visit exhibition about the history, archaeology and ecology of the surrounding area.
The centre was closed in early 2020 and the building is not currently open to the public.
A new beginning
In 2024, Cornwall Heritage Trust undertook a project in conjunction with Cornwall Council to establish solutions to issues with the building, which could potentially result in the reopening of this invaluable community space and visitor attraction.
The charity took ownership of the site in late 2025.
