Towanroath Engine House at Wheal Coates

Towanroath Engine House at the Wheal Coates tin and copper mine housed a beam steam engine which was used to pump water out of the mine in order to prevent flooding.

The Engine House was built in the latter part of the nineteenth century and it was partly rebuilt in the twentieth century by the current owners the National Trust.

Wheal Coates opened in 1802 and operated throughout most of the nineteenth century. It first closed in 1889 although it was briefly reopened in 1911. It was finally closed in 1914. At the peak of it operations the mine had three engine houses and employed 70 people.

The Engine House is part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. It was added to the World Heritage List at the 30th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Vilnius, July 2006.