Scheduled MonumentsWalesBryndyfi Lead Mine
Post Medieval/Modern · Lead Mine

Bryndyfi Lead Mine

Ceredigion, Wales
Cadw SAM CD126
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Site type
Lead Mine
Broad class
Industrial
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Bryndyfi Lead Mine is a post-medieval and modern extractive site in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference CD126. The mine exploited lead ore deposits within the local geology, where the bedrock comprises Llandovery rocks—undifferentiated mudstones, siltstones and sandstones laid down during the Llandovery period of the Silurian era. These sedimentary formations, though primarily composed of fine-grained deposits, hosted sufficient mineralisation to justify commercial extraction during periods when lead demand and market conditions made mining economically viable.

Lead mining in Wales expanded significantly from the seventeenth century onwards, with many sites operating into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Bryndyfi's survival as a protected monument reflects the historical importance of Wales's mineral extraction industry, which shaped both the landscape and the regional economy.

Today the site preserves evidence of the mining techniques and infrastructure employed during its operational phases. The protection afforded by Cadw ensures that the physical remains—whether surface workings, spoil heaps or structural features—are maintained for their archaeological and industrial heritage value, contributing to understanding of Wales's extractive past.

Bryndyfi Lead Mine is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD126. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Bryndyfi Lead Mine?

Bryndyfi Lead Mine is a post-medieval and modern extractive site in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference CD126.

What period does Bryndyfi Lead Mine date from?

Bryndyfi Lead Mine dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a lead mine. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Bryndyfi Lead Mine?

Bryndyfi Lead Mine 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 CD126.

What other scheduled monuments are near Bryndyfi Lead Mine?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Banc Troedrhiwseiri Ring Barrow (7.9 km), Pen y Castell (8.6 km), Camp near Garth-Penrhyn-Coch (9.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Bryndyfi Lead Mine

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bryndyfi Lead Mine's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Bryndyfi Lead Mine

Bryndyfi Lead Mine stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.