Penrhos Engine House

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the scheduled ancient monument.

The monument consists of the remains of an engine house, dating to the 18th or 19th century. Penrhos engine house dates from about 1794 and was built by John Wilkinson to house a beam engine for pumping water from a coal mine on the site. It is believed to be the earliest surviving colliery engine house in Wales. In the 1840s the building was converted into a cottage: three floor levels and associated window openings were been inserted above the basement, two domestic-type brick chimneys were added and remains of a pigsty are visible. The building is roofless, having walls of sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings to corners and window arches. In plan, it measures approximately 6.5m square and the bob wall, adjacent to the capped mine shaft on the south-east, is 1m thick.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of mining in Wales. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques. An engine house may be part of a larger cluster of industrial monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

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