‘Main Site’
Bick describes the main workings as being in a ‘hollow’ called Twll Mwyn, located next to the main road. He believes an overgrown area marks the base of a waterwheel that was fed by a wooden aqueduct from a water source across the road to the north.
He also states that the same area had a shaft 80m deep, of which nothing now remains. There used to be a 12hp steam engine on-site for when water power was insufficient.
More obvious is a 1.5m wide by 30cm high slot emitting a fair amount of water from what is probably the filled-in adit. This might be enterable, but the area seems to be well-used by cattle, so it might not be hygienic. Bick states the adit to be 89 yards long and serves no clear purpose - certainly, it is too short to reach under the shafts further up the hillside.
There is a small, ruined building just up the hillside from the adit, which was presumably a mine shop or similar.
Upper Workings
Bron y Gadair is a small hill that overlooks the village of Pentrefelin, offering excellent views in all directions. It is also where the vein breaks the surface through the thin soil and may be the site of the original working.
The workings are to the southwest of a subsidiary small hill and take the form of 4 or 5 areas of coarse, rusty spoil. The highest of these is open and reveals a shaft following the course of the vein down, maybe 10-20m to water. The shaft looks like it could be descended in reasonable safety.
Another of the spoil areas reveals, on closer inspection, a void between some of the boulders. This also appears to be a shaft, probably under 10m deep. It is thought unlikely that these shafts join up with the workings near the road.
On the hill above the shafts is a well preserved Rock Cannon.
Summarised from Bick
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Possibly investigated by Romans. | |
| Early 19th C | Part of the estate of Richard Watkin Price of Rhiwlas. |
| 1822 | 3-year take note was issued to miners Rowland Jones of Penmorfa and Daniel Evans of Capel Isa Garn. |
| 1824-1830 | worked by Samuel Holland and his son. |
| 1836 | A 4-year take note was issued to Edward Williams, a surgeon from Bala, with terms to employ 2 men for 8 months of the year. John Williams was a shareholder. |
| 1840 | John Williams leased the site from Price, subleasing it to mine adventurers from Cheltenham. |
| 1844 | Closure. |
The workings are on Bron-y-Gadair farmland.
The top shafts can be unobtrusively visited by following the small lane from Pentrefein toward St Cynhaearn’s Church. Before reaching the footpath sign, a missing gate provides access to the hill, and a further gate leads to the fields containing the shafts.
The lower workings are next to the farm, in the field adjacent to the road.
External Links
Publications (2)
- Bick, D.E. (2003); Old Copper Mines of Snowdonia, The; pp. 16-18
- Foster-Smith J.R.; NMRS (1977); British Mining No. 4; Mines of Anglesey and Caernarfon; pp. 33
