Scott's Pit Engine House

Cadw's description

Location

Situated between Llansamlet and Heol-las just NE of the M4 motorway.

History

Engine house, built 1817-19 by John Scott, a solicitor from London. It made little money and was subsequently sold to C. H. Smith a local coal-owner who worked it until c1842. A tramroad ran from the pit to White Rock on the Afon Tawe. The engine house was recommissioned in 1872 to ventilate and drain Cae Pridd Colliery and this continued intermittently until 1930. It was restored 1976-80 and is now owned by Swansea Council.

Exterior

Cornish engine house, rubble stone with C20 mertal sheet roof. Massive external chimney breast on rear wall stepped in in four stages, the first two stages large, the upper two smaller and then with tapering brick stack. The front wall has big segmental arched gable opening with stone voussiors for the beam and a narrower one at ground level. S side is higher due to falling ground. Big ground floor opening with segmental arch in red brick, then first to right and above a cambered-headed door with orange brick head. Above again a blocked small arched opening with red brick head and above again a cambered-arched door with orange brick head. The orange brick heads are of later date than the red brick.
N side has first floor camber-headed door with orange brick head and above an arched small opening with orange brick head and to right of this another cambered-headed door.

Interior

All floors removed. Retains big platform for the cylinder.

Reason for designation

Included at a higher grade as a remarkably complete earlier C19 Cornish beam engine house. The engine house together with other remains on the site are a Scheduled Ancient Monument (GM336).