Former Fuseworks, Pendarves Street, Camborne, Cornwall
This building dates from the mid 19th century and was a foundry. It was rebuilt and refronted in 1910 when the site was bought by Bickford Smith's fuseworks. William Bickford devised the safety fuse early in the 19th century. Manufacture began at Tuckingmill in 1831 and moved to this site in 1910. The invention of the safety fuse was very important to the mining industry. A safety fuse was a slow burning fuse that meant an explosion could be detonated from a distance. Explosives were used in mining to bring down sections of coal or ore that could be broken up by the miners and brought up to the surface for processing.
