#engine house

Ruins of the Bellingham's 70" Engine House at the Wheal Jenkin mine, just outside Minions in Cornwall.

Wheal Jenkin mine was first opened in 1836 by the Cornwall Great United Mining Association, it was sold in 1872 to the Marke Valley Mine who expanded the site. In 1886 a new engine house was built to house the 70" pumping engine at the Bellingham mine shaft. In 1890 the entire Wheal Jenkin mine was closed.

Walks

It’s good to get out and about, fresh air, fresh mind. Can’t wait for the spring, favourite time of year 👌🏼 and also my birthday 🤷🏼‍♀️✨

#365daysofbiking Making the best of things:

September 22nd - Dejected and wistful, we pottered up the old line into Birmingham, through Oldbury. The rain held off. The flowers and berries that were out welcomed us and glistened in their coating of raindrops. The towpaths were wet, but made for good riding. There were few people around, and the verdant, still mostly green canals were a real tonic.

Past the old engine house, Tollhouse Loop, M5 Viaduct and engine arm, and into central Birmingham. The mood improved.

An interesting graffiti writer had been at work, leaving neat-script, cryptic phrases at intervals from the Soho Loop to the ICC. That was engaging and something to spot and ponder over.

At the city centre, food, drink, then up the A34 cycleway to the canal at Perry Barr, and home via Ray Hall and Rushall Junction.

A bad day had been pulled around. The rain held off. Deep down, it didn’t feel so bad. But I’m getting far too old to work weekends - I was exhausted.

But there was one inescapable thought - if those folk at Tipton had held on, they’d have had a decent afternoon.