History

Of The Britannia Mine


Not surprisingly, an inspiring visit to this National Historic site leads to greater interest in the Mine and its legendary past.

Dig further into the Mine's history:

A to Z Britannia

A to Z Britannia


In its seventy-year life, the Britannia Mine had a fascinating history. With over 60,000 people living and working here, you can imagine that there are a few stories to tell! There was pioneering work on ore extraction technologies - peak production rates making it the then biggest copper mine in the British Empire, dictatorial and benevolent managers, fire, floods, a tragic rock slide and much more.

There's too much 'story' to tell it all here.

But have a look at our A to Z of Britannia (9 page PDF) to get a sense of what Britannia was all about.

A to Z Britannia

Archival Newsletters

Archival Newsletters


Over the years, the Mine had several newspapers and newsletters for the community. Several have been transcribed here. They provide a unique insight into the events and people that made Britannia home in the 1970s.


1967 Newsletters 1967 Newsletters Posted on Apr 21, 2014 (871 KB)

1968 Newsletters 1968 Newsletters Posted on Apr 21, 2014 (866 KB)

1969 Newsletters 1969 Newsletters Posted on Apr 21, 2014 (571 KB)

1970 Newsletters 1970 Newsletters Posted on Apr 21, 2014 (1038 KB)

1971 Newsletters 1971 Newsletters Posted on Apr 21, 2014 (267 KB)

Archival Newsletter

Quick Facts

Quick Facts


Ore discovered - 1888

Years of operation - 1904 to 1974

Number of employees and residents - over 60,000

Number of countries of origin of employees - 50

Main mining communities - Britannia Beach (processing and shipping operations) and Mount Sheer (mining operations)

Mining camps - 9: Victoria, Empress, Beta, Barbara, Jane, Incline, Daisy (Goldsmith), Seaview, Seymour

Owners - Howe Sound Company and subsidiary Britannia Mining & Smelting Company (1904 - 1963), Anaconda Copper Company (1963 - 1974)

Ore extracted - over 50 million tons

Ore present - metal sulphides: pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena; gold and silver

Metal produced - copper (650,000 tons), zinc (137,000 tons), lead (17,000 tons), cadmium (500 tons), silver (188 tons), gold (15.6 tons/500,000 ounces)

Underground workings - 210km tunnels (longest 16km), over 1750 metres of vertical distance to a depth of around 650 metres below sea level

Peak production - Mill processing 7000 tons of ore per day; largest copper mine in British Commonwealth (late 1920's/early 1930's)

Extraction rates - 90% to 95%

Mill operations - Mill 1: 1905 - 1914, Mill 2: 1914 - 1921, Mill 3: 1923 - 1974

Fatalities - estimated 178 underground fatalities in 70 years

Disasters - Jane Slide (1915, 56 deaths); Britannia Beach flood (1921, 37 deaths); Mill 2 fire (1921, 0 deaths)

Quick Facts