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Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool is a post-medieval and modern iron mine worked into the Millstone Grit Group bedrock that underlies this part of South Wales. The site exploits the natural geology of the Namurian period, where alternating layers of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone were deposited. This distinctive landscape of excavated scours—shallow workings across the surface—represents the pragmatic extraction methods used to access iron ore deposits embedded within these strata, a practice particularly intensive during the industrial development of the Pontypool area.
The scours visible across the site are characteristic of opencast mining techniques employed before deeper shaft mining became economical. The exposed faces reveal the geological sequence through which miners worked, extracting ore from the most accessible and richest seams. The scattered nature of the workings across the upper reaches of the site suggests phased exploitation as deposits were identified and exhausted.
Today the Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race are protected by Cadw as a record of Wales's iron-working heritage. The site's physical features preserve evidence of the industrial landscape that transformed this region, with the scoured ground and geological sections offering insight into both the natural resources available and the methods by which they were worked during the post-medieval and modern periods.
Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM256. View the official record →
Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool is a post-medieval and modern iron mine worked into the Millstone Grit Group bedrock that underlies this part of South Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM256.
Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a iron mine. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool 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 MM256.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Cairn 315m S of Upper Wenallt (7.9 km), Fourteen Locks, Monmouthshire Canal (9.6 km), Caerleon Legionary Fortress: School Fields (9.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool'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.
Iron Ore Scours at Upper Race, Pontypool stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.