Mona Mine Kilns and Sublimation Chambers, Mynydd Parys

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of calcining kilns dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. The Mona mine constitutes one of the sites which makes up the Mynydd Parys copper mining complex, the most productive copper mine in the world by the end of the eighteenth century. Calcining and sulphur sublimation was practised at Mona Mine from before 1785. This was the process of roasting ore in heaps to remove sulphur or other impurities. The sulphur discharged was condensed into a fine yellow powder or 'sublimated' in long stone-built chambers, for use in the chemical and explosives industries. The kilns are visible as substantial craters where the ore has been removed, leaving a residue of pink stone. The scheduled area includes an explosives magazine, kilns and sublimation chambers, together with their characteristic associated waste.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of industrial mining practices. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.