A guide to the Camborne School of Mines

The Camborne School of Mines is a British educational institution, specialising in teaching skills relating to the mining industry based near Falmouth, Cornwall. Now, a specialist department of the University of Exeter, it helps to continue the Cornish tradition of highly-skilled metal extraction and can trace its origins to the 19th century. A guide to the Camborne School of Mines follows.

History and location

Camborne School of Mines (CSM) was founded in 1888 and was based in the centre of the town of Camborne for almost a century until 1975, when it moved to a specialist location between Camborne and Redruth. In 1993, CSM was incorporated into the University of Exeter. CSM was part of the 1999 initiative to widen higher educational opportunities in Cornwall, the Combined Universities in Cornwall's (CUC) initiative. This led to the selection of a site just outside Tremough, near Falmouth as the CUC 'hub'. Following investment in this location to improve its infrastructure, CSM relocated there during the summer of 2004. CSM established its reputation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, just as the metal extraction industry in Cornwall was beginning to decline. This saw its graduates emigrating abroad to work on projects in places as diverse as Mexico, mines in Australia and even in Malaysia. The current campus is located in a countryside setting and covers 70 acres. With views of the River Fal and its estuary, the college's main four-storey building provides a modern and specialised academic setting.

Learning and lifestyle

CSM enjoys a fine reputation for the quality of its specialised research. Currently, CSM operates two research programmes, one focusing on mining and minerals and the other on renewable energy.
The college is committed to field-based research and collaborates extensively with the mining and civil engineering industries, in a variety of environments and areas including large open pits, block caving, quarrying, tunnelling and coastal stability. CSM also manages a test mine located south of Camborne, not far from its Cornwall campus. Students are able to use this facility to learn how to drill, charge and fire explosive rounds. Surveying skills are also taught, by using both traditional and modern methods, with one of these being the use of laser 3D scanning equipment.