Colliery Ventilation Furnace at Pembrey

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of a ventilation furnace used to creating airflow throughout colliery workings and which dates from the early 19th century. It was used in association with the nearby Stanley’s Pit and was out of use by 1878. It comprises a small rubble stone chimney stack with surrounding masonry. The stack measures c 10m in height, 2m wide and square in section, slightly tapering to a string-coursed cap. The north side has remains of the ventilation drift; the furnace chamber may have stood on the west where there is an extended oblong stone structure which appears to have been truncated with a sloping concrete slab roof.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the early nineteenth century coal mining industry. The structures may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, building techniques and functional detail. A ventillation furnace may be part of a larger cluster of industrial monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises a square 10m by 10m centred on the stack containing the remains described and within which related evidence may be expected to survive.