The Annual Paul Smales Lecture: Where are Cornwall's Mines Now?

This year the Annual Smales Lecture will be delivered by mining historian Ben Sumpter.

What happened to Cornwall’s mines after they closed more than 100 years ago? This talk tracks the underground exploration of Cornwall’s secret underworld.

Underground spaces are amongst the most rarely visited places in the UK and today present a frontier of exploration for cavers and explorers. But what remains today of Cornwall’s once bustling tin, copper and sundry metal mines hidden beneath our countryside? 

Ben runs Cornwall Underground Adventures and has spent most of his life exploring underground spaces around the world. He is also a research consultant specialising in mining history, geology, classics and archaeology. He is lead investigator of the Kassiteros Project, investigating early metallurgy in ancient literature, and regularly gives talks on subjects ranging from caving to church his-tory and quantum physics. 

The Smales lectures are given in memory of Paul Smales, who made a great contribution to many Cornish institutions and was a friend of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society for many years and is a fundraiser for The Poly.

The Annual Paul Smales Lecture: Where are Cornwall's Mines Now?

Weds 3rd Dec 6.00pm - 7:00pm

Cost: Flexibly priced £5/£8/£11 (choose the amount you can pay)

A £1 Poly Fund payment is added to each ticket sold. A 50p booking fee is also applied per ticket for online and telephone transactions.