Kelly Mine is a Devon iron mine situated on the eastern flank of Dartmoor near Lustleigh. The mine worked deposits of micaceous iron oxide, also known as MIO, micaceous haematite, or 'shiny ore', which is a flaky form of iron oxide, Fe₂O₃.  Kelly Mine is one of about ten mines and two or three trials within the triangle formed by the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead and the village of Hennock which worked similar deposits. 

 

The ore has no use in the production of iron but among other applications was used in the making of very effective corrosion-resistant paint, needed for the protection of the iron and steel structures of the industrial age, and some Devon micaceous haematite mines survived well into the twentieth century. The paint is still produced from ore mined in other countries.

 

Kelly Mine, although a relatively small mine, is of great significance today as an industrial heritage site. When the mine finally closed in 1951, Ferrubron, the company then running the operation, was in debt to the land owner for rent and royalties on the ore extracted.  In lieu of payment the company left the machinery on the site.  More than thirty years later in 1984 the land owner agreed to lease the site to a group of mining enthusiasts.

 

Kelly Mine Preservation Society (KMPS) continues to restore and preserve this time capsule, and the unique machinery and processing plant are back in working order.

 

Visitors to the site can trace the whole process from mining the ore, via the adits and shaft, to the dispatch of the final product from the drying shed. The ore washing, jigging and stamping equipment and the machinery in the mill are fully functional, while the settling tanks, drying shed, waterwheels and the mine tramway, with its wagons and haulage winch, work as they did in the 1920s. There is a small museum, the miners' dry and a display of artifacts from other mines in the area.

 

A detailed and very readable history of Kelly mine from its earliest days to final closure is given in Tony Brooks' book 'Kelly Mine and the Shiny Ore Mines of the Wray Valley' (A5, 190pp), available to buy at Kelly mine (cash only), or by post - see details in the 'Near the Mine Site and Other Mines' page of this website.  Tony Brooks' earlier book 'Great Rock - Devon's Last Metal Mine' is now out of print, but worth trying to find second hand via the internet.

 

 

Entry to the Kelly mine site is free, but cash donations are welcome to support the ever increasing cost of restoration and maintenance.

 

Registered charity nbr 1212074

 

There is no underground access.

 

Occasional news from the mine can be found in posts on Facebook and Linkedin, search for Kelly Mine.

 

Visit us or come to our Open Day, see the Visiting and Open Day page for more details.