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Lefel Fawr Coal Adit is a post-medieval and modern underground coal extraction tunnel located in Wales. The adit was driven horizontally into the hillside to access coal seams within the Pennine and South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation, a geological unit formed during the Westphalian period and comprising alternating layers of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This method of mining allowed miners to extract coal by following the coal seams directly without the expense and labour of sinking deep shafts, making level adits a preferred approach in areas where the coal measures outcropped at suitable elevation.
The site's geology reflects the rich coal-bearing strata of South Wales, one of Britain's most significant coal-producing regions during the Industrial period. The layers of mudstone and siltstone between the coal seams would have presented both structural support and drainage challenges as miners advanced underground.
The adit is protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference BR201, recognising its historical importance as evidence of Wales's industrial coal-mining heritage. The surviving entrance and workings provide physical testimony to the extraction techniques and industrial activity that characterised this region's economic development.
Lefel Fawr Coal Adit is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR201. View the official record →
Lefel Fawr Coal Adit is a post-medieval and modern underground coal extraction tunnel located in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR201.
Lefel Fawr Coal Adit dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a coal adit. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lefel Fawr Coal Adit 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 BR201.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tramroad at Ystradgynlais (3.7 km), Canal Aqueduct over the River Twrch, Ystalyfera (5.3 km), Hirfynydd Roman Earthwork (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Lefel Fawr Coal Adit'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.
Lefel Fawr Coal Adit stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.