BLACK TOR FALLS TIN MILLS

    The two tin mills lying immediately below the picturesque Black Tor waterfall are situated a short distance beyond the historic fields associated with Stanlake Farm.  The mills are situated next to the River Meavy and may be found on either side of the pond formed by the waterfall. These mills were originally built to house the crushing machinery needed by pulverize the tin ore mined from the nearby tinworks.  Several mortar stones on which tin ore was crushed by water-powered stamps still survive, as do a number of especially prepared stones on which the water wheel axle rotated.  To the south of the mill on the right bank of the river are a series of earthworks and structures which denote the dressing floor where the tin ore from the stamps was washed.  One of the leats which served  the mills is still clearly visible hugging the foot of  a steep slope.  This slope together with an array of linear earthworks were formed during earlier streamworking operations within this part of the Meavy Valley.  The mill on the left bank, in particular, is clearly built upon earlier streamwork earthworks.  Since the streamwork is earlier than the mills it is unlikely to be the source of the tin ore crushed at this place.  Although tin mills are known to have crushed ore found during streaming operations they are more usually built to serve nearby mines where all of the ore had to be pulverized before the valuable tin could be recovered.  Two main areas with surviving tin mines lie relatively close to the mills at Black Tor Falls.  The first is around Black Tor itself where at least three separate groups of lode-back pits may have been a source of the tin ore crushed at the mills.  The second group of tinworks which may have sent ore to the mills lie on the western slopes of Hart Tor where a number of lodes appear to have been exploited using lode-back pits and openworks.  

The archaeological survey report produced in 1997 can be found here. 

Plan of the mills