Gwennap

Gwennap (Standard Written Form: Lannwenep (village), Pluw Wenep (parish)) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about five miles (8 km) southeast of Redruth. Hamlets of Burncoose, Comford, Coombe, Crofthandy, Cusgarne, Fernsplatt, Frogpool, Hick's Mill, Tresamble and United Downs lie in the parish, as does Little Beside country house. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Gwennap parish was the richest copper mining district in Cornwall, and was called the "richest square mile in the Old World". According to one estimate the mines of Gwennap produced tin and copper to the value of £10 million in the 19th century. It is near the course of the Great County Adit which was constructed to drain mines in the area including several of the local once-famous mines such as Consolidated Mines, Poldice mine and Wheal Busy. Today it forms part of area A6i (the Gwennap Mining District) of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. It lends its name to Gwennap Pit, where John Wesley preached on 18 occasions between 1762 and 1789, although Gwennap Pit is about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to the northwest, at the hamlet of Busveal near St Day. The pit was caused by mining subsidence in the mid-18th century. After Wesley's death the local people turned the pit into a regular circular shape with turf seats. The location of the pit has been described as being used for Cornish wrestling tournaments prior to its transformation.