** Other names need sorting - are they separate features?
Waste heaps, fenced-off shafts, and occasional evidence of mining infrastructure. Some of the original shafts remain identifiable, particularly West Whimsey, which is located north of White Horse Farm. However, much of the mining infrastructure, including the windmill at Roft Shaft, has long since disappeared.
To the north-east of White Horse Farm, an overgrown shaft mound remains fenced off in a field, while further west, a large shaft sits just south of the road. Some remnants of whim circles, once used for hauling ore, can still be seen in the terrain, though they have been disturbed by modern trackways. Other shaft locations, including Hannah Shaft—the northernmost of the workings—are now largely overgrown, while some have been capped with concrete for safety.
Processing operations at Trelogan were extensive but have left little visible trace. The main processing area was located to the north-west of Perth-y-maen, where circular buddles once separated ore. Although no significant structures remain, concrete bases suggest reworking of waste material at a later date.
Some of the original mine buildings survive, repurposed for modern use. The former mine offices at SJ 1262 8080 now form a pair of semi-detached single-storey dwellings, still retaining their original architectural character. Opposite these, partially restored buildings continue to be used as workshops, with much of their 19th-century structure intact. At the main site entrance, a large circular concrete platform is visible, partially buried beneath mining waste.
Stone revetment walls, now incorporated into the terraced gardens of the repurposed dwellings, are likely remnants of mining-related structures. The 1964 Ordnance Survey map shows a rectangular building at the mine entrance, which may have played a role in processing or administrative functions. The entrance itself appears to have been situated between this structure and the converted mine offices.
Late 17th century - The Governor and Company for Smelting down Lead with Sea Coal—later known as the Quaker Company or The London Lead Company—was granted a Royal Charter around 1700. By 1694, they had already begun operations, working the mines at Trelogan in conjunction with their smelt mill at Gadlys.
By the 19th century, the Trelogan Mining Company took over operations, focusing on the Afongoch Vein, which ran east to west north of the road passing the Afongoch Inn. Several shafts were sunk into the fields along this vein, and the main workings developed on the Trelogan and Pen-y-ffrith Veins. Among the key shafts named by Smith (1921) were West Whimsey, Roft, and Hannah Shafts, along with numerous other trial workings spread across the landscape.
Trelogan was notable for its use of early steam-powered technology. By the 1730s, a windmill was used to pump water from the workings, and in 1732, the first Newcomen Engine in Flintshire was installed, the first of many steam engines that, despite their cost, proved profitable due to the mine’s rich ore deposits. By 1865, an 80-inch pumping engine manufactured by Bracewell and Griffiths of Burnley was operating at the site.
The mine saw renewed activity in 1897 when it was reopened by Brunner Mond, continuing operations until 1911. The sale of mining equipment that followed included an extensive modern dressing plant with winding and milling machinery, along with rock drilling equipment, compressors, and multiple boilers. Two large 80-inch pumping engines were later sold to Tregutha Downs, Cornwall, just before World War I.
External Links
- https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=CPAT102786
- https://www.walesher1974.org/herumd.php?group=CPAT&level=3&docid=301357974
- https://www.walesher1974.org/herumd.php?group=CPAT&level=3&docid=301363556
- https://www.walesher1974.org/herumd.php?group=CPAT&level=3&docid=301366818
- https://www.walesher1974.org/herumd.php?group=CPAT&level=3&docid=301449479
Publications (4)
- (1921); BGS - Mineral Resources of GB (c1920s) Vol XIX - Lead and Zinc: in Carboniferous of North Wales; 169 pages
- Gruffydd, Ken Lloyd (2010); Coalmining in Flintshire during the early modern period 1509-1737 , Flintshire Historical Society Journal : 38 : 19-94
- Thomas, D. (1995); Lower Trelogan Lead Mine , Archaeology in Wales : 35 : 77
- Williams, C. J. & Bick, D. (1992); List of metalliferous mine sites of industrial archaeological importance