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Caerphilly Iron Furnace is a post-medieval ironworks situated in the South Wales coalfield, where the Upper Coal Measures Formation provides the raw materials that made iron production viable in this region. The underlying bedrock of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone is interspersed with coal seams and ironstone deposits, together with bands of ferricrete—all essential resources for smelting and fuel. This geological advantage established the site within one of Britain's most important centres for iron manufacture during the industrial period.
The furnace represents the industrial exploitation of Wales's mineral wealth, when proximity to coal and iron ore made the region intensely competitive for ironworks development. The combination of fuel and ferrous deposits in the Upper Coal Measures Formation, laid down in the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous, created conditions that attracted investment and skilled workers throughout the post-medieval era into the modern period.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, as a significant record of Wales's industrial heritage. The survival of structural remains at Caerphilly documents the technological and economic systems that transformed the South Wales landscape and made the region a centre of metallurgical innovation and production.
Caerphilly Iron Furnace is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM503. View the official record →
Caerphilly Iron Furnace is a post-medieval ironworks situated in the South Wales coalfield, where the Upper Coal Measures Formation provides the raw materials that made iron production viable in this region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM503.
Caerphilly Iron Furnace 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.
Caerphilly Iron Furnace 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 GM503.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wenallt Camp, Rhiwbina (5 km), Castell Coch (5.2 km), Twmpath, Rhiwbina (5.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Caerphilly Iron Furnace'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.
Caerphilly Iron Furnace stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.