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The Salthouse, Port Eynon is a post-medieval and modern salt works situated on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, Wales. The site exploits the proximity of the Carboniferous Dinantian limestone bedrock that underlies the area, combined with access to seawater from Swansea Bay. Salt production at coastal locations such as this became increasingly important during the post-medieval period as inland sources diminished and maritime trade expanded. The works would have utilised evaporation ponds and heating facilities typical of contemporary salt-making operations, converting brine into commercial salt for preservation, seasoning and industrial purposes.
The geological setting at Port Eynon—where Dinantian rocks comprising limestone with subsidiary sandstone and argillaceous strata rise to meet the shoreline—provided both raw materials and natural drainage advantageous to salt manufacture. The limestone could supply structural materials for construction and processing infrastructure. Salt-making remained economically significant along the Welsh coast into the modern period, responding to local and regional demand.
The Salthouse, Port Eynon is protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw (reference GM471), recognising its historical and archaeological importance as evidence of post-medieval industrial activity and technological adaptation to coastal resources.
The Salthouse, Port Eynon is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM471. View the official record →
The Salthouse, Port Eynon is a post-medieval and modern salt works situated on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM471.
The Salthouse, Port Eynon dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a salt works. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The Salthouse, Port Eynon 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 GM471.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Culver Hole Dovecot (0.4 km), Longhole Cave (1.9 km), Norton Camp (3.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of The Salthouse, Port Eynon'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.
The Salthouse, Port Eynon stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.