Bryndu Coke Ovens

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 group of coke ovens dating to the 19th century. Coke ovens roasted coal to drive off chemical constituents and reduce it to almost pure carbon (ie. coke) prior to its use in various industrial processes. The ovens are part of a large coking complex built in the 1840s as part of a co-ordinated development of collieries and ironworks, and continued in use to supply the Cefn Cwsc Ironworks with coke. At least eight of the ovens are complete with their stone and brick vaults, parts of their firebrick linings, coke caked walls, and flues. Many more are likely to be intact below the undergrowth and infill. They are of the stop-ended type, with barrel vaults, originally some 5m long, and dampers at the stop end.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the early nineteenth century coal mining industry. The structure may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, building techniques and functional detail. A coke oven 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.