© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Great Orme Copper Mines is a prehistoric copper mining complex located on the Great Orme headland near Llandudno in Conwy, Wales, and represents one of the most significant Bronze Age industrial sites in Britain. Extensive archaeological investigation has revealed evidence of large-scale copper extraction dating primarily to the Bronze Age, with some activity potentially extending into later periods, making it a crucial site for understanding prehistoric metallurgical practice and trade networks. The mines consist of worked galleries and shafts driven into the rock, together with associated surface features, demonstrating the considerable engineering effort and technological sophistication required to extract and process copper ore at this scale. The site's archaeological importance lies in its illustration of how prehistoric societies organized industrial production and the role of copper extraction in sustaining the Bronze Age economy across the Irish Sea region.
Great Orme Copper Mines is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN216. View the official record →
Great Orme Copper Mines is a prehistoric copper mining complex located on the Great Orme headland near Llandudno in Conwy, Wales, and represents one of the most significant Bronze Age industrial sites in Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN216.
Great Orme Copper Mines dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a copper mine. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.
Great Orme Copper 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 CN216.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cefn Llechen cairns (8.6 km), Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber (8.6 km), Hut Groups N of Cerrig y Dinas (9.1 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Great Orme Copper Mines