(H) 7cm / (W) 7cm
 
Thrown Vessel with Slips, Underglaze, and Glaze on Stoneware
 
This vessel is inspired by a photograph of one of the old tunnels that I took at Cligga Head in Perranporth. 
 
Mining here is believed to date back 2000 years. Originally tin-bearing boulders, fallen fron the cliff face, were hauled up in baskets.
In 1889, the British and Colonial Explosives Company developed the site to produce nitroglycerine, In 1892, the Nobel family, inventors of dynamite, bought the site. During World War 1, the site was used for the manufacture of hand grenades and shells, staffed almost entirely by local women. The factory buildings were surrounded by earth banks to contain any explosion.
During World War 2, wolfram was mined, and used to produce tungsten for armour-plating and armour-piercing shells. During the war years, 300 tons of wolfram, and 200 tons of black tin were mined there.
In 1945, the site closed, as cheaper tungsten was imported from abroad. The ruins here today are of the mine, the explosives factory, and relics of the World War 2 aerodrome.
 
The colours and marks on the piece remind me of being at the location.