Our mission is to sustain, at the heart of Cornwall’s Clay Country, a place for everyone to celebrate, discover and learn about Cornwall’s china clay industry, past and present: an industry that changed people’s lives locally and across the world.

It’s a mission we’re dedicated to – even if you can’t visit us in person. That is why we’d like to share two ways you can explore our beautiful historic site, museum galleries and collection online, without leaving your home, or as an accompanying digital resource on your visit to Wheal Martyn.

Our virtual museum tour

Our interactive 360^o virtual tour allows you to take a virtual visit through our museum buildings following our Historic Trail outdoors through the Victorian clay works. It’s perfect for creating your own bespoke tour around your favourite spots! You will see highlights like the 35-foot waterwheel, the Lee Moor Engine, our bat roost and the crib hut.

As well as allowing you to plan your route, the virtual tour has the advantage of letting you see the museum when it is perfectly quiet. The virtual tour makes our spaces more accessible for people with hidden conditions and virtually accessible for people with physical disabilities who may not be able to explore all areas of the site due to its size and historic nature. The virtual tour can also help reduce any anxiety that may be felt over visiting somewhere new. It empowers a visitor to virtually explore in advance, at any time, and in any location where they feel comfortable and safe. 

Take a Virtual Tour... 

This virtual tour can be accessed on most smartphones, tablets and desktops connected to WiFi or 4G and without the need for a headset. Please let us know what you think of the tour and how the experience can be improved. Send your feedback to [email protected]

Click on the image below to access the Virtual Tour. If there are problems loading, please click here to view via the Ocean3D website.

Our drone film - an insight into modern clay mining in Cornwall 

We are proud of our incredible local landscape which is a product of the last two centuries of china clay mining. When you visit Wheal Martyn Clay Works, a walk up to Pit View reveals an awesome insight into the depths of the modern clay industry. It is such a highlight!

With the help of a talented drone photographer, we have made this dramatic experience available to all our visitors. The beautiful film An Insight into Modern Clay Mining in Cornwall will take you on an epic journey into Wheal Martyn Clay Pit.

Some background on our tour and film project

Through the British Science Association Community Buddy Programme, our Education Officer Gemma Martin worked with Professor Katharine Willis (Professor of Smart Cities and Communities, School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Plymouth). Together they co-created a project which explored how we support and engage with visitors with hidden conditions or access needs. Through consultation, workshops with user-groups and with support from researchers in the University, we developed the 3D Virtual Tour and drone film. 

We worked with Chris Wood of Ocean3D, a leading virtual reality photography scanning business based in Cornwall that specialises in  supporting organisations to be autism friendly and accessible for one and all. The drone film was created by Duncan Scobie of Granite Ocean Film. We are thankful for their skills, creativity, enthusiasm and tireless commitment.

We are grateful for the support and funding from the University of Plymouth and from the British Science Association with funding from UK Research and Innovation UKRI, which helped us to create these two fantastic resources.