King Edward Mine in Troon has celebrated the opening of a new exhibition which took place as part of the site’s recent open day to mark the completion of major works.

Despite wet and windy conditions, hundreds of people visited the site for the museum’s annual event, which marked the official opening of the site after a major regeneration project has been taking place over the last year.

The historic site has undergone over £1m of conservation on the 16 Grade II* Listed buildings and has seen two of the derelict buildings brought back into use as an exhibition space and new community café.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho, officially opened the day’s proceedings, cutting the ribbon on the new exhibition space. This was followed by the operation of the historic Californian Stamps and the first live performance of a commissioned piece of music by critically acclaimed composer Gareth Churcher.

Local people, families and young children from the area enjoyed a packed programme of events including live performances arts and crafts and great food and drink.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has invested more than £1.1m into the development project. Phil Collins, member of the HLF South West committee, said: “King Edward Mine is the oldest complete early 20th-century mine site left in Cornwall and an important reminder of the area’s long and proud mining heritage.

"After several years of working together, we are delighted to see the tremendous result and the overwhelming public support for all the hard work that has taken place. We are excited to see a new chapter begin for this Grade II * listed site."

King Edward Mine museum hopes that the new additions to the site will encourage more people to enjoy the natural landscape with their families and learn a little about Cornwall’s heritage along the way.

The regeneration project has been funded by the HLF, along with the Architectural Heritage Fund’s Challenge Fund for Historic Buildings at Risk, which has been funded by Historic England and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the Headley Trust, Cornwall Heritage Trust, the Carew Pole Charitable Trust and LEADER.