Conservation Projects

The World Heritage Site is made up of a great many features which are internationally important. These features are described by UNESCO as ‘attributes of Outstanding Universal Value’ and together they make up the distinctive character of the Cornish mining landscape.

The attributes can be found, in different concentrations, across all ten Areas of the World Heritage Site and part of the role of the World Heritage Site Office is to help identify attributes which are considered to be most in need of conservation and to work to secure external funding to enable this.

Significant conservation of attributes of Outstanding Universal Value has taken place since the World Heritage Site was inscribed by UNESCO in 2006 and we have highlighted some of these projects below.

Previous projects

Conservation projects have delivered significant improvements across the World Heritage Site, through preserving historic mine sites and via streetscape improvements to historic buildings within former mining settlements. A total of £92m has been allocated by funders across 52 individual projects to December 2019, with this being secured using World Heritage Site status as a principal means to persuade funding partners.

To give an indication of the type of conservation the World Heritage Site Partnership Board has supported since 2006, we have highlighted some of the projects which have appeared in the newsletters of the World Heritage Site. The authors concerned are thanked for their contributions which have been edited in some instances for inclusion within the Projects page. 

Further information on conservation can be found within the World Heritage Site Management Plan 2020-2025 Appendices - Appendix 2: Monitoring Report.  

While World Heritage Site status was used as a primary justification for the conservation works, the projects were funded and delivered by a wide range of organisations at the local and national level, including local authorities, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural England, and the National Trust.

The World Heritage Site Partnership Board extends its sincere gratitude to all the funders, project managers, conservation builders, heritage advisors and others, that have worked to preserve the Site’s Outstanding Universal Value for present and future generations.

The conservation projects are listed below and please scroll down to learn more. 

• (2008-2016) The Camborne, Roskear and Tuckingmill Townscape Heritage Initiative
• (2015) King Edward Mine workspaces open for business
• (2015) Wheal Busy: Scheduled Monument conservation
• (2013) Completion at Consolidated Mines
• (2012) ‘Heartbeats’ in the capital of Cornish Mining
• (2011) Devon Great Consols and the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project
• (2010) Theatre and song at South Hooe Mine
• (2009) Conservation at Wheal Trewavas
• (2008) Holman’s No.3 Rock Drill Works
• (2007-2008) The Geevor Project