THE future of one of the key sites in the Cornwall and West Devon World Mining Heritage Area is uncertain this week after the site went into administration.

The decision on Morwellham Quay was made following a meeting last week of all the stakeholders who agreed that administration was the best course of action.

Attempts will now be made to try and protect the heritage site and the significant amount of public funding already invested in it.

Nigel Morrison and David Matthews, of Grant Thornton UK LLP, have been appointed joint administrators of the Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust and its associated trading company, Morwellham Trading Co Ltd.

Mr Morrison said their aim was to keep the attraction open until the end of October when it was due to close for the end of the season: 'While it is closed we will begin the process of examining how the site can be financed going forward.

'We will be discussing its finances with all the parties who have provided funding and reviewing the options for its future.

'A number of parties have already expressed interest in the site and we are confident the long-term future of the attraction can be secured.'

There were likely to be some job losses among the staff, 15 of whom are full-time and 19 seasonal. But these would follow a review of the needs of the site and the seasonal closure programme, said the administrators.

An open air mining museum located in the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Morwellham also has a copper mine, a 220-acre farm and a visitors' centre.

But it has been struggling to survive for many years and the financial crisis came to a head a few weeks ago when the new Conservative-controlled Devon County Council pulled the plug on further funding.

The council, which had injected £1.2-million into Morwellham over the last three years, said it was not prepared to put more taxpayers' cash into a site which had not managed to turn itself around.

But the trust had asked for a little more time and predicted that in two years it would become self-sufficient financially.

Funds had been spent on revamping the site and a marketing plan to boost visitor numbers was about to be implemented.

A production company had also expressed an interest in running a series about Morwellham which would help to increase public awareness of the attraction, they said.

The administrators said although specific assets might be considered, they would seek a way to preserve as much of the site as possible.

This would seek to ensure the trust's obligations to its stakeholders, including the county and borough councils, Heritage Lottery Fund, Tamar Valley AONB and the World Heritage Site for the Devon and Cornwall Mining Landscape were fulfilled.

West Devon Borough Council chief executive David Incoll said that once the administrators had carried out their initial assessment of the situation, he would expect them to discuss their intentions with the county and borough councils.

He added: 'We very much hope that this important world heritage site can remain open for the public to visit and within the constraints of the administrators will be working with partners to achieve this.'