Redruth

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(Cornish: Resrudh). Redruth was formerly the capital of the largest and richest metal mining area in Britain. The town's setting is dominated by the granite heights of Carn Brea and Carn Marth. Copper ore became sought after from the late 17th century. It was the deep mining of copper after the 1730s which raised Redruth's status to that of capital of the largest and richest metal mining area in Britain. At the peak of production in the 1850s, two-thirds of the world's copper came from Cornwall. The population of Redruth and the nearby villages greatly increased. The long decline, brought about by international competition, began in the 1860s. By 1880 two-thirds of Cornish miners had emigrated to the mines of the Americas, Australasia and South Africa. Tin mining lasted some 30 years longer but provided fewer jobs. Redruth and its surrounding district gave to the world, not only a vital material, but also a legacy of engineering innovation through the work of men such as Watt, Murdoch and Trevithick.