Botallack

Botallack is a coastal hamlet in Cornwall, England, situated on the north coast of the Penwith peninsula, about two miles northwest of St Just in Penwith. It forms part of the civil parish of St Just and lies within the historic St Just mining district, an area long associated with tin and copper extraction.

From the 18th to the 19th centuries, Botallack and its surrounding hills supported extensive underground workings. The landscape is notable for a cluster of engine houses perched on cliff tops along the coast, many of which survive as ruins and are among the most recognizable remnants of Cornwall’s mining heritage. The Levant Mine and its beam engine, a National Trust property located nearby, epitomizes the technology once used to pump water from deep ore workings.

Today Botallack remains a rural coastal area. It is a destination for walkers on the South West Coast Path and for visitors seeking industrial archaeology and dramatic sea cliffs. The mining legacy of Botallack and the surrounding St Just area continues to be a central element of Cornwall’s cultural heritage and of tourism in the region.