The Collection

The Holman Rock Drill collection is in the process of being catalogued. In essence it covers:

�	Rock Drills - Holman�s from 1881, and others (including an MacDermott and Glover (1860) and Doering (1867).

�	Early Models of Beam Engines etc.

�	Photographic Archives (glass slides and prints) of Holman products in use, for training and for demonstration.

�	Brochures covering products and spare parts.

�	Ledgers and various report books.

�	Drawings including cutaways for sales, maintenance and training.

�	Ephemera including various patents, diplomas, WW2 war effort.

Holmans started producing their first patented rock drill in 1881.

In the late 1940�s Richard Gilbert collected together a number of rock drills found at the Holman works, and with the support of Treve Holman further exhibits were added to what became the Holman Museum. Housed in the old Public Rooms in Camborne, the museum was attracting up to 6,000 visitors per year.

In 1968 Holman became Compair Holman, and in 1980, with the takeover by I.C. Gas, the name was changed to just �Compair�. The Holman Museum was soon to become a casualty of the reorganisation and was in part disposed of to a local industrial theme park: Poldark Mine.

In late 1985 Compair was sold to the Siebe Group and rock drill