IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Point Mills, Chacewater, TRURO, TR4 8RA

The river level is high due to recent rains. Red mineral staining can be seen on the grass at the river's edge due to minerals being washed out into the river upstream. The land here is contaminated with arsenic which is also probably being leached into the river. The river itself does not look unhealthy, which plenty of weed in the river bed, but I would not like to drink it!

These ruins are all that remains of the refinery which operated from around 1840 to 1939.

The former Mineral Tramways around Bissoe have been converted into a series of cycle paths through the former mining district. Much industrial dereliction remains and parts of the area are still heavily poisoned with arsenic and other unpleasant materials but it is slowing reverting to nature. The mine on the hilltop is Mount Wellington Mine, sadly closed.

An example of how industrial devastation has turned into a tourism opportunity. The old mineral tramway along the Carnon River Valley has been made a cycleway. With the scars of 19th century mining now covered by vegetation, this area has become something which tourists want to experience.

The British Arsenic Company, which later became the Cornwall Arsenic Company, operated these works for a century, ending with the outbreak of WW2. The production of arsenic was a by product of tin smelting (more information here: http://www.pznow.co.uk/historic1/tin5.html ). The arsenic from these works was noted for its high quality and was exported for use in cotton plantations to control boll weevil. After the refinery closed the site remained derelict until it was landscaped to form a public recreational area in 1986.

One of two modern ponds created when the Nature Reserve was established in 1986. The pond is surrounded by rushes, iris, heather and gorse, and is home to the 12 recorded species of dragonfly and damselfly, as well as frogs, toads and newts. A key aim of the nature reserve is to monitor and research the effects of heavy metal contamination from mine wastes, including the spoil from the nearby Point Mills Arsenic Refinery.

Pollution from mine waters is clearly visible at this point in the Carnon River. To the left is the stump of the chimney at the Point Mills Arsenic Refinery. The chimney was a prominent local landmark until it was hit by lightning in December 1990.

In the distance can be seen the remains of Point Mills Arsenic Refinery. Bissoe Valley Nature Reserve was donated to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust by Carrick District Council in 2000.