Ironstone Quarries at Carreg Maen Taro

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument comprises the remains of quarry workings dating from the industrial period and is relatively early within the extensive mineral extraction landscape of Blaenavon. It is shown on a map of 1880 as disused, but tramroad plates found within the area suggest that it was being worked again soon after. Iron ore was probably worked by 'patch working' under separate sub-leases from the Blaenavon company, and the mineral transported to the Ironworks by tramroad. The remains include quarry faces, hand tips, tramroad routes, and coal and iron ore levels. The extensive system of watercourses in the area, may have been used for scouring, and carrying water to reservoirs on the south-east side of the mountain. Two steam engines are believed to have operated within the area at SO 2384 1118 and 2394 1127. The remains also include Carreg Maen Taro, an important boundary marker indicating the extent of the Blaenavon partners' lease.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of quarrying in the prehistoric/medieval/industrial period. The quarry may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, mining techniques and functional detail. A quarry 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.