Pick Axes to Pixels: Reimagining Cornwall’s Mining Heritage in Minecraft

As part of the Cornwall National Landscape’s Natural Beauty and the Beast project, we were delighted to secure funding for Pick Axes to Pixels - a groundbreaking initiative that brought together archaeology, digital creativity, and community engagement in an inspiring new way.

This innovative project saw the historic mining landscape around Phoenix United Mine (located in Area A9 - Caradon Mining District of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site) reconstructed within Minecraft. With the fantastic support and technical expertise of the team at Liskeard Library, the result was a dynamic and immersive experience that captured the imagination of everyone involved.

Working in partnership with the Cornwall Young Archaeology Club, Cornwall National Landscape, and Liskeard Library, the project set out to uncover the Caradon Mining District’s rich mining heritage and bring it vividly to life. By blending fieldwork with digital technology, participants were able to explore, interpret, and ultimately rebuild their local heritage in an interactive virtual world.

Project Aims

The Pick Axes to Pixels project explored how digital tools can transform heritage education by:

• Demonstrating how platforms like Minecraft can support learning and engagement
• Helping young people understand archaeological processes through hands-on activities
• Using virtual reconstruction to recreate and interpret historic mining sites, complete with signage and embedded information
• Integrating Cornish language into the learning experience

Day One: Exploring the Landscape

The first day took place around Minions on Bodmin Moor, where members of the Cornwall Young Archaeology Club visited Phoenix United Mine and its surrounding landscape. The visit was expertly facilitated by Iain Rowe and Tanya Brown, whose guidance helped bring the site and its history to life for participants.

Walking through the remains of this once-thriving industrial site gave participants a powerful sense of scale and history. The group explored not only the standing structures but also the wider archaeological landscape, identifying features such as:

• The Hurlers stone circles
• A network of railway tracks that once transported coal to the site in exchange for tin and copper
• Stone boundary walls, dressing floors, and spoil heaps

Participants also carried out a hands-on measured survey of the mine, recording wall dimensions and creating plans that would form the basis for their digital reconstructions the following day.

A visit to the former Count House provided valuable insight into the administrative heart of the mine and its role in the wider mining story.

Adding another layer of learning, the group used Cornish language flashcards to explore words connected to mining, landscape, and ecology - embedding local language and culture into their experience.

Day Two: Recreating the Past in Minecraft

The group gathered at Liskeard Library for the second phase of their adventure - transforming their fieldwork into a digital world.

Using a bespoke Minecraft environment created by Digital Facilitator Mark Blake, participants worked collaboratively to recreate the mining landscape they had explored. Guided by their own notes, sketches, and measurements, they constructed:

• Engine houses
• Beam engines
• Mine buildings and processing areas
• Mine shafts
• The wider industrial landscape

The library quickly became a hub of creativity and collaboration, with ideas flowing as young archaeologists translated real-world evidence into virtual structures. The integration of Cornish language, supported by the themed flashcards, added further depth to their builds.

The results were nothing short of extraordinary - detailed, thoughtful reconstructions that brought Cornwall’s mining heritage vividly to life in a format that is accessible, engaging, and future-facing. Take a journey through the amazing landscape created in Minecraft on our YouTube channel.

Inspiring the Next Generation

The energy, teamwork, and focus displayed throughout the project highlighted the potential of combining heritage education with digital skills. Participants not only gained a deeper understanding of Cornwall’s mining past but also developed new ways of thinking about how history can be shared and experienced.

This two-day programme formed part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site’s 20th anniversary celebrations, offering a hands-on opportunity for young people aged 8–16 to connect with their local heritage in a meaningful and creative way.

Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of:

• Cornwall National Landscape, through the Natural Beauty and the Beast project
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund
• Iain Rowe and James Richards - Cornwall National Landscape
• Mark Blake and Ed Hart - Liskeard Library
• Tanya Brown - Cornwall Young Archaeology Club

A special thank you goes to the Liskeard Library team, whose enthusiasm, support, creativity, and technical expertise turned an ambitious idea into an inspiring reality.

Looking Ahead

Pick Axes to Pixels has shown just how powerful it can be to bring together archaeology, technology, and community engagement. By enabling young people to explore the past and rebuild it in a digital space, the project has opened up exciting new possibilities for the future of heritage interpretation.