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Copa Hill is a post-medieval and modern lead, copper and zinc mine located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD145. The mine exploited the metalliferous deposits hosted within Llandovery rocks that underlie the site. These Llandovery strata, dating to the early Palaeozoic, comprise undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that provided the geological setting for ore formation.
The mine represents the industrial extraction of base metals during the post-medieval period and into modern times, when demand for lead, copper and zinc drove significant mining activity across Wales. Such mines were integral to Britain's industrial economy, supplying raw materials for manufacturing, plumbing and other industries. The site's survival and protection reflects the historical importance of metal mining to the region.
Today Copa Hill stands as a record of Wales's mining heritage and the landscape-scale industrial activity that shaped many upland areas. The surviving earthworks, shafts and spoil heaps document the methods and scale of extraction undertaken over several centuries, whilst the underlying geology reveals why this location was economically significant to successive generations of miners seeking valuable ore deposits.
Copa Hill/Cwmystwyth Lead, Copper and Zinc Mines is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD145. View the official record →
Copa Hill is a post-medieval and modern lead, copper and zinc mine located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD145.
Copa Hill/Cwmystwyth Lead, Copper and Zinc Mines 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.
Copa Hill/Cwmystwyth Lead, Copper and Zinc Mines 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 CD145.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hafod: Chain Bridge and Gothick Arcade (2.8 km), Hafod: Cavern Cascade (3.1 km), Hafod: Peiran Cascade (3.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Copa Hill/Cwmystwyth Lead, Copper and Zinc Mines'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.
Copa Hill/Cwmystwyth Lead, Copper and Zinc Mines stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.