Location
Bedruthen Steps, Cornwall
Client
National Trust
Contractor
Jago Construction Ltd
Contract Value
£68,000
Services Provided
Conservation Area Consent
Contract Administration
Planning Permission
Project Management
Site Investigation
Structural Design
Structural Drawing & Detailing
Structural Survey
Tendering Process
The Project
The former iron mine at Carnewas was in operation from the 1850s until it closed in the 1900s.
The shaft was found to be opening up leaving a large hole in the corner of a field near the National Trust’s shop and cafe, James Lockyer Associates were called in to develop a design to safely cap the shaft.
After exposing the top of the shaft, steel beams were installed to provide temporary support to manhole rings and formwork to allow a reinforced concrete cap to be built below ground level. The manhole rings extend above ground and are clad with stone facing with a steel grille on top.
The shaft is in use by lesser horseshoe bats. Accordingly, the design incorporates holes in the sides of the capping structure to provide access for the existing bat population.
Cornish hedges are located to the north and west of the opening, the northern of which is built over part of the shaft. The Cornish hedges were relocated and now form a horseshoe shape around the cap surrounded by an extensive planting design.
