More than 60,000 people from over 50 different countries lived and worked at Britannia from 1904-1974, which was at its peak one of the largest copper mines in the world. Britannia has over 100 miles of underground workings and some 67 miles of diamond drill holes. The mine produced during its life 750 million pounds of copper from 35 million tonnes of ore.
Visible from the sea to sky highway, the iconic Britannia Mines Concentrator, a historic site with a Canadian Federal Heritage designation, was originally built up the rock face of Mount Sheer at the edge of Howe Sound, 28 miles north of Vancouver.
Not all work and no play
To strengthen social ties within the isolated communities, the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company ensured there were plenty of recreational facilities and events for workers and their families, like libraries, a movie theatre, club rooms, billiard rooms, tennis courts, a bowling alley and a swimming…
