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The eastern shore of Howe Sound at Britannia Beach, 45 kilometres north of Vancouver, had become an active hub for mining copper ore by 1903. The ore that was collected from Mount Sheer and the surrounding area had initially contained small amounts of copper, requiring the production of ore concentrate that would be shipped to an ore processing plant for smelting. A gravity concentrator capable of processing 200 tons of ore every day was installed at the site in 1904, with an inclined and aerial tramway system moving crushed ore from the mine to the concentrator. A fire tore through the facility in 1921, destroying the building and halting mining operations. One year later, a new gravity concentrator handling a daily output of 2,500 tons was constructed, and still exists to this day.
The introduction of the new steel and concrete structure, formally called No. 3 Concentrator, propelled Britannia Mines into the upper echelon of the world's mining operations. By 1925, the facility produced more copper ore concentrator than any other in the British Empire, a claim to fame it maintained until 1930.
The 20-storey building climbs up the northwest rock face of Mount Sheer with successive levels, its monolithic stature only interrupted by rectangular windows looking out onto Howe Sound. Receiving ore at the apex of the structure, approximately 70 metres from the base, gravity aided its movement to the bottom. On its way there, the ore was crushed to a fine sand, then mixed with water to undergo a process known as flotation, which separates the minerals from the waste rock. After reaching the base of the structure, the ore was shoved directly into the hold of a cargo ship.
Britannia Mines shuttered activity in 1974, closing the book on one of Canada's largest mining operations. The Britannia Mines Concentrator was designated a National Historic Site in 1987 and is now the centrepiece of the Britannia Mine Museum. It underwent a $5 million exterior renovation in 2007 and dominates the view from the Sea to Sky Highway.
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