Tai Mawr Leat for Cyfarthfa Iron Works

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 leat, an artificial water channel usually leading to a mill, probably dating to 18th century. The leat was constructed in 1766 as the original watercourse to serve Cyfartha ironworks. It is recorded in the diaries of Charles Wood, the agent of Anthony Bacon, in construction of the ironworks. The leat was originally designed by William Edwards and revised by Wood to reach a higher point on the Taff. A cast iron sluice besides a stone weir topped with cast iron plates opens into a channel, which continues beside the river. Part of the leat has been cut into the bedrock, and the remainder was walled and buttressed in stone.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of 18th or 19th century industrial practices. 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. A leat may be part of a larger cluster of 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.