Global InformationDrakelands Mine information
 The main open cast at Hemerdon Ball | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Hemerdon Mine Location in the county of Devon | |
| Location | Drakelands, near Plympton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°24′36″N 4°00′36″W / 50.410°N 4.010°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Tungsten, and Tin |
| Type | Open-cast |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1867 |
| Active | 1918–9, 1941–4, and 2015–8 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Tungsten West plc |
| Website | tungstenwest |
| Year of acquisition | 2019 |
Drakelands Mine, also known as Hemerdon Mine, Hemerdon Ball Mine or Hemerdon Bal Mine [note 1][1] is a tungsten and tin mine. It is located 11 km (7 miles) northeast of Plymouth, near Plympton, in Devon, England. It lies to the north of the villages of Sparkwell and Hemerdon, and adjacent to the large china clay pits near Lee Moor. The mine had been out of operation since 1944, except for the brief operation of a trial mine in the 1980s. Work started to re-open it in 2014, but it ceased activities in 2018. It hosts the fourth largest tin-tungsten deposit in the world.[2][3][4]
A new company, Tungsten West plc, commenced interim operations at the mine in 2023, after investing to alter the processing plant.[5] A ground up review lead to the recognition that the ore is not in fact Wolframite, but is in fact a related ore, Ferberite, and changes were needed to improve extraction efficiencies. In addition, a subsidiary will enhance the mine with aggregate sales as a by-product of mining.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Mindat online database
- ^ "Mineweb Article". Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
- ^ Tungsten and tin mine to reopen, BBC News, 4 December 2007, 09:12 GMT
- ^ "THE HEMERDON PROJECT (Drakelands Mine) information pack" (PDF). www.wolfminerals.com.au. June 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "London Stock Exchange | London Stock Exchange". www.londonstockexchange.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Tungsten West plc