© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Abercrave Ironworks is a post-medieval and modern industrial site in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR222. The works developed above bedrock of the Pennine and South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation, a Westphalian sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interbedded with coal seams, ironstone and ferricrete. This geological foundation made the location strategically valuable for iron production, as both fuel and ore were available within the immediate vicinity. The ironstone and coal deposits of the Lower Coal Measures provided the essential raw materials for smelting and refining operations that characterised South Wales ironworks from the eighteenth century onwards. The ferricrete bands within the sequence offered additional iron-rich resources for exploitation during the site's period of operation.
Abercrave Ironworks is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR222. View the official record →
Abercrave Ironworks is a post-medieval and modern industrial site in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR222.
Abercrave Ironworks dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a ironworks. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Abercrave Ironworks is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is BR222.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Canal Aqueduct over the River Twrch, Ystalyfera (5 km), Hirfynydd Roman Earthwork (6.2 km), Coed Ddu house platforms and enclosure (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Abercrave Ironworks's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Abercrave Ironworks stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.