© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine is a post-medieval and modern colliery situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation. The underlying strata, formed during the Moscovian period, comprise mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete, geological conditions that made this location suitable for coal extraction and the industrial infrastructure that developed here. The ventilation furnace represents a response to the practical challenges of deep mining, where controlled air circulation was essential for both safety and efficient operation.
The site's remains reflect the transition from earlier mining methods to more sophisticated industrial processes. The ventilation furnace would have been integral to the mine's operations, drawing fresh air through the workings and expelling foul air to maintain conditions safe for the miners below. This technological approach became standard practice as coalfields were worked deeper and more extensively.
The monument is protected by Cadw under reference GM547, recognising its significance as evidence of Wales's industrial heritage and the technological solutions developed to extract coal from challenging geological conditions. The site survives as a material record of labour, engineering ingenuity and the economic importance of coal to Wales during the post-medieval period.
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM547. View the official record →
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine is a post-medieval and modern colliery situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM547.
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a colliery. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and 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 GM547.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Camp 530m E of Tonmawr (6.5 km), Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones (6.8 km), Margam Abbey (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine'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.
Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.