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Powys Metal Mines Survey


Wye Valley

Wye Valley lies in the community of Llangurig in the county of Powys. It is located at Ordnance Survey national grid reference SN82658510. The mine is recorded in the CPAT Historic Environment Record as number 18979 and this number should be quoted in all correspondence.

Wye Valley, CPAT photo                Lead (1846-1880)

Geology
The workings are on a branch vein of the main NE-SW lode in Nant Y Gwrdy. Exposure of the vein here displays a quartz brecciated gangue in rocks of the Silurian Frongoch formation.

Workings
Four shafts (SN83158506, SN82988501, SN82868499) and an adit (SN82818505). The earlier engine shaft is drained by an adit crosscut with extensive stoping above adit. A second shaft was sunk in 1879.

Transport
No evidence.

Power
A reservoir on Nant Y Gwrdy at SN83138521 drove the dressing floors to the west.

Processing
In 1874/5 a self acting dressing plant was installed on the dressing floors SN82698510 but this is now almost totally destroyed by clearance for farm buildings and parking areas.

Other features
No evidence. As previously described. The majority of the mine has been destroyed by the activities of the Sweetlamb Rally School, the remaining sites include two shafts (prn268929 and prn22073), two levels (prn22074 and prn22083) a dam (prn48664) and possible reservoir (prn68732). (CPAT Tir Gofal assessment, 2003)


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.