A bright future for multi award-winning Geevor Tin Mine Museum is assured after site owners, Cornwall Council signed a new 99 year lease with Pendeen Community Heritage (PCH).

The unique heritage site attracts around 40,000 visitors a year from all over the UK and abroad. Geevor Tin Mine is set within 47 acres, located on the outskirts of Pendeen in West Cornwall.

Community based charity PCH has successfully managed it for more than twenty years, doubling visitor numbers, creating year-round employment for 28 local people and has won awards for its visitor experience and for what it offers educationally.

Geevor tells the story of the mining heritage of St Just and Pendeen and its dedicated education team welcomes thousands of school, college, and university students every year who use the site to learn about everything from history and geology and art and engineering.

Chair of the board of trustees at Geevor, John Swarbrooke said: “This new long lease will make it possible for PCH to directly apply for external funding for a wide range of exciting projects which will help us implement our ambitious vision for the future of this iconic site.

“The conservation work undertaken on the buildings and structures on the site by Cornwall Council over the past two years has helped secure the long-term future of Geevor and the new 99-year lease shows the faith which the council has in PCH”.

Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: “We fully appreciate the importance of this site to the local community and to Cornwall as a whole. 

“Geevor plays a significant role within the World Heritage Site, providing information, interpretation and learning as well as signposting to the wider areas across Cornwall. It is a part of our heritage that needs to be conserved and made available for the enjoyment and education of its many visitors. 

“It’s heartening to see the commitment demonstrated by PCH to further enhancing and improving accessibility to this part of our history for future generations. We look forward to continuing our productive working relationship with them”.