© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais is a post-medieval and modern transport infrastructure monument in the coal-rich landscape of South Wales. The route is situated above bedrock comprising the Pennine and South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal seams, ironstone and ferricrete deposited during the Moscovian period. This underlying geology determined the economic character of the entire region, making Ystradgynlais a centre for coal extraction and iron production from the late 18th century onwards. The tramroad was constructed to transport these extracted minerals, connecting mines and ironworks to distribution points. Such tramways were essential infrastructure in early industrial South Wales, predating or complementing railway development. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh government's historic monuments service, under reference GM399, recognising its significance as evidence of the industrial heritage that transformed the South Wales valleys.
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM399. View the official record →
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais is a post-medieval and modern transport infrastructure monument in the coal-rich landscape of South Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM399.
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a tramroad. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais 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 GM399.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mynydd March Hywel Round Cairn (5.2 km), Cairn on Mynydd-March-Hywel (6.3 km), Cilybebyll Auxiliary Unit Operational Base (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tramroad at Ystradgynlais'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.
Tramroad at Ystradgynlais stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.