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Foxhole River Staithes is a post-medieval and modern staithe located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM482. A staithe was a waterside facility built to load and unload cargo directly onto vessels, typically serving industrial operations such as coal mining or iron production. This example sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete laid down during the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous era. The geological setting directly reflects the monument's function: the coalfield landscape that made such loading infrastructure essential for exporting the region's extractive industries.
The staithe would have served the coal and iron trade that dominated South Wales from the eighteenth century onwards. Vessels moored at the riverbank to receive cargo transported from collieries and ironworks inland, facilitating commercial networks that extended beyond Wales itself. The structure represents the industrial heritage of the region during a period of intense mineral extraction and export.
The monument preserves evidence of the waterside infrastructure that underpinned the South Wales coalfield economy. Its riverside location provided direct access to routes for maritime transport, making it a vital node in the supply chains connecting inland industrial production to distant markets. The site remains a tangible reminder of Wales's role in Britain's industrial transformation.
Foxhole River Staithes is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM482. View the official record →
Foxhole River Staithes is a post-medieval and modern staithe located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM482.
Foxhole River Staithes dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a staithe. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Foxhole River Staithes 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 GM482.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including White Rock Copper Works (0.5 km), Original Swansea Castle (1.2 km), Swansea Castle (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Foxhole River Staithes'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.
Foxhole River Staithes 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.