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Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation Furnace is a post-medieval and modern industrial structure associated with coal extraction in Wales. The furnace forms part of the infrastructure developed to manage ventilation in the underground workings of the colliery, a critical safety requirement in deep mining operations where accumulation of noxious gases posed serious risks to miners. The site lies within the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a geological sequence of Westphalian age comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal seams, ironstone and ferricrete—the layered succession that made this region a major centre of coal production from the late eighteenth century onwards.
The ventilation furnace represents the technological solutions developed to improve working conditions underground. Heat from the furnace created air currents that drew fresh air through the mine workings, displacing stale air and hazardous gases. This structure reflects the industrial development of the South Wales coalfield and the engineering innovations necessary to exploit the thick, productive coal seams of the region. The monument is protected by Cadw under reference GM458 in recognition of its importance to understanding the history of mining in Wales.
Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation Furnace is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM458. View the official record →
Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation Furnace is a post-medieval and modern industrial structure associated with coal extraction in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM458.
Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation Furnace 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.
Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation 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 GM458.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen-y-Castell (6.1 km), Maesteg blast furnaces (6.5 km), Cwm-Clais Castle Mound (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation 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.
Cwm Pelenna Colliery Ventilation 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.