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Clwyd Metal Mines Survey


Trelogan

Trelogan lies in the community of Llanasa in the county of Flintshire. It is located at Ordnance Survey national grid reference SJ12608080. The mine is recorded in the CPAT Historic Environment Record as number 102786 and this number should be quoted in all correspondence.

Lead/Silver/Zinc (Early 18th century-1911)

Geology
Carboniferous Limestone with chert beds.

Workings
The Governor and Company for Smelting down Lead with Sea Coal was granted a Royal Charter and began the very early exploitations in Flintshire about 1700. Known as the Quaker Company or later The London Lead Company, the mines at Trelogan were worked along with their Smelt Mill at Gadlys prosperously from 1694. In the 19th century, the Trelogan Mining Company appear to have worked the Afongoch Vein (Smith 1921) which cut east to west north of the road passing the Afongoch Inn. At this point, several shafts are identifiable in the fields at SJ1538028, SJ11578031, SJ11758030, and SJ11918033. The vein was one of several strings of veins that ran westwards from the main shafts. The main workings were on the Trelogan and the Pen-y-ffrith Veins. Smith (1921) names the main shafts as West Whimsey, Roft and Hannah Shafts. West Whimsey lies on an area of wasteground to the north of White Horse Farm at SJ12138042, but the whim has been destroyed. Shafts ran north-westwards from Trelogan Hall to the main mine site. A further shaft at SJ12068046 is located to the north-west of West Whimsey. To the north-east of White Horse Farm, an overgrown shaft mound remains fenced off in the field at SJ12258042. To the west of White Horse Farm a large shaft lies immediately to the south of the road at SJ12058035. Uphill and to the south of the road, a whim circle has been cut by the track leading up a house. Its shaft is to the immediate north at SJ12068030. To the south of the quarry area a single shaft is located at SJ11888015. Roft Shaft is overgrown and practically undetected at SJ12388067 in an area of wasteland and spoil to the west of Trelogan Farm. There is no evidence of the windmill, which stood in the vicinity. The most northerly shaft, Hannah Shaft is at SJ12808105. To the north-west of this a level ran out in the Afon-y-Garth Valley. A large shaft substantially capped with concrete at SJ12558074. The mine was re-opened in 1897 by Brunner Mond and worked until 1911.

Transport
No evidence.

Power
In the 1730s, a windmill was in use as a water pump at Trelogan; and in 1732, the first Newcomen Engine in Flintshire was at work at the mine, the first of many, which although costly, paid for themselves, due to the excellent returns of the mine. A sale notice for 1847,lists 30" and 40" pumping engines, a five sail windmill which drove a crusher that had 25" and 16"rollers. In 1865, an 80" pumping engine, made by Bracewell and Griffiths of Burnley, was at work. A sale catalogue of 1911 (CRO (D/DM/186/81) list an 80" Cornish Beam Condensing and Pumping Engine, a complete modern dressing plant with winding, milling, and other engines, a Hirnant air compressor, rock drilling plant and 6 Lancashire boilers. The boiler house on Crescent Shaft is mentioned with a Lancashire boiler 24ft.x 7ft and a vertical Cornish pump 16"x16"x24" on Evans Shaft and other portable machinery too numerous to list. Two 80" pumping engines were sold to Tregutha Downs, Cornwall immediately prior to World War 1 (CRO NT 1078), one probably being an 80" winding engine, 4 boilers and a capstan, built by Bracewell and Griffiths or Burnley Ironworks as it was known.

Processing
In the early 18th century, the Quakers sold their lead to local smelteries, but also sent it to northern smelters, even as far as Newcastle-upon Tyne. Daniel Peck, the Mostyn Land agent operated a smelt mill at Llanerch-y-Mor, near Mostyn Hall. A complete modern dressing plant with winding, milling and other engines was offered for sale in 1911 (CRO D/DM/186/81). The area to the north-west of Perth-y-maen (SJ12488073), which incorporates the Air Shaft at SJ12738096, was the main processing site. The site remains as a vast area of waste.There is no remaining evidence of the processing plant with three circular buddles shown on the OS 2nd edition. Large concrete bases to the north-west of the spoil infer re-working of the waste.

Other features
The entrance to the site passes the old mine offices at SJ12628080, whose characteristic have little changed despite the fact that they have been converted to two semi-detached single storey dwellings, approx 10m x 5m. The opposing buildings are partially improved, but in use still as workshops (SJ12658083). The original architectural features remain unaltered inpart from the 19th century. To the north of the mine buildings at the main site entrance a large circular concrete platform remains with underlying brick protruding from beneath the waste at SJ12638085. Stone revetment walls form part of the terraced gardens of the improved dwellings at the mine entrance and must be mine related structures. The 1964 OS 2500 map Flintshire sheet SJ1079/1179 shows a rectangular building standing on this site (SJ12618079), approx 5m x 2.5m. The mine entrance appears to have been between this building and the converted dwellings. A very solid stone foundation of a mine building stand at SJ12558072, appearing as a solid stone base within an outer wall approx 8m x 6m overall, although lost in undergrowth.


This HTML page is reproduced from the Powys and Clwyd Metal Mine Surveys which were undertaken between May 1992 and December 1993 by Mark Walters and Pat Frost of the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust with financial support from Powys County Council, Clwyd County Council and Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments. Further information about this site is available in CPAT's Regional Historic Environment Record.
Page produced by Rachel Stebbings and Chris Martin.