Scheduled MonumentsWalesPencoed Lead Works
Post Medieval/Modern · Lead Mine

Pencoed Lead Works

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM282
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Site type
Lead Mine
Broad class
Industrial
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM282
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1996-11-18
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Pencoed Lead Works is a post-medieval and modern lead mine situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation. This geological sequence, deposited during the Westphalian period, comprises mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interbedded with coal seams, ironstone and ferricrete layers. Lead ore exploitation in this region exploited mineralisation within these carboniferous strata, which provided both the target mineral and the surrounding host rock.

The works represent industrial extraction during the period when lead mining became mechanised and integrated into Wales's expanding extractive industries. The site's operation depended on the accessible ore bodies within the Upper Coal Measures, where lead mineralisation occurred in association with the complex sequence of sedimentary and iron-rich deposits. The ferricrete layers in particular indicate iron enrichment in the geological column, a feature commonly associated with secondary mineral concentrations in coal measure terrain.

The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under the reference CM282. This designation recognises Pencoed Lead Works as a significant industrial heritage site reflecting Wales's important role in metal extraction and processing during the post-medieval period through to modern times.

Pencoed Lead Works is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM282. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Pencoed Lead Works?

Pencoed Lead Works is a post-medieval and modern lead mine situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM282.

What period does Pencoed Lead Works date from?

Pencoed Lead Works dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a lead mine. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Pencoed Lead Works?

Pencoed Lead Works 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 CM282.

What other scheduled monuments are near Pencoed Lead Works?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clyne Wood Colliery Steam Winding Machine (8.6 km), Clyne Valley Shaft Mounds (9 km), Cil Ifor Promontory Fort (9.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Pencoed Lead Works

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pencoed Lead Works's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Pencoed Lead Works

Pencoed Lead Works 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.