China clay quarry

Whilst visiting the Eden Project we stayed in the Cornish town of St Austell. It is around this area that many china clay quarries were worked. The clay was of good quality and was used for making porcelain. However, I didn't realise that 80% of all china clay produced is used in the manufacture of paper and board. We decided to visit a disused clay works which is now a museum. 

This is a flooded china clay pit. It was last worked around 1930. This is one of many pits that were worked in this area in the 19th century. The clay that was produced her came to the Victorian clay works at Wheal Martyn which is now a museum.

This 35 ft water wheel was used to pump clay slurry to the surface of the china clay pit.

Wheal Martyn was built on a hillside to help the clay slurry move around the site by gravity for each stage of the refining process

From the top of the pit the clay slurry flowed down the hill through pipes to the refining works. The slurry contained china, water, sand and mica. The aim of the refining works was to separate out the clay from the mixture.

In the settling tanks the clay was allowed to stand for anything up to three months so that it could continue to dry. By the end of its time here the clay was very thick and looked like clotted cream. Small trucks on short lengths of rails were pushed out into the tanks and the clay was shovelled into them to be taken inside the pan kiln for drying.

The low building at the back was the pan kiln which continued the drying process.

Behind Wheal Martyn is this modern china clay quarry. The processing works are at the other side of the quarry.