Part of Cornwall's Wheal Kitty tin mine under hammer

The mine operated from about 1830 to 1930

A picturesque section of Cornwall's coastline, including the remains of a tin mine, is to be sold at auction.

The 50-acre stretch of land near St Agnes includes part of the Victorian Wheal Kitty mine and has a guide price of £60,000 to £80,000.

The area is a Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

The sale, which also includes the beach below the mine and the cliffs and heathland above it, takes place on 29 July in Redruth.

Clive Emson Auctioneers, who are conducting the sale, said the land was likely to appeal to "local historians" and "outdoor types".

Auctioneer Scott Gray said: "This particular lot stands out from the crowd because of its size, location and history.

"Land like this only comes up for sale once in a blue moon... outdoor types will love it."

The auctioneers said the Wheal Kitty mine operated from about 1830 to 1930, employing hundreds of people extracting tin, copper and iron pyrites.

The sale also includes the beach below the former mine workings

The site is currently owned by a property company.

Ainslie Cocks, from Cornish Mining World Heritage, told BBC News: "St Agnes has historically been an important tin producing area and the cliffs contain much evidence of production over an extended period.

"The remains of the tin processing plant at Wheal Kitty are some of the best surviving from a works dating from the 1920s and illustrate well the layout and construction of the time.

"Former mine sites do come on to the market from time to time but reuse of these is sometimes restricted or limited due to contamination issues or through the presence of statutory or other designations."

He said 80% of Cornwall's world heritage mining sites were already in private ownership, including land owned by the National Trust.