Minions’ Industrial Heritage

The village of Minions was formed by immigration to the area following the discovery of copper ore in Caradon Hill. A few moorland farmhouses were joined by rows of miners’ cottages and a Methodist chapel.

New roads and railways linked the settlement to Liskeard and the coast. In 1900 the village was called Cheesewring Railway and sometime in the C20th it acquired the name Minions. The village has an open aspect with animals grazing freely in the centre. This is because it is on common land.

From Minions you will see mine engine houses in every direction reflecting the mineral wealth of the granite underlying Bodmin Moor. The fascinating granite Cheesewring was formed by millions of years of erosion. You can walk along the old railway to the quarry and see the grey stone which was used to build much of C19th London including the piers of Tower Bridge.