Trefil Quarries North

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

Trefil Quarry was opened in 1794 by Edward and Jonathon Kendall in order to supply limestone to their ironworks at Beaufort. Eventually, limestone was carried to the ironworks at Beaufort, Sirhowy, Ebbw Vale and Victoria (using the Trefil Railroad); to Tredegar (using the Tredegar Tramroad); and to Rhymni (using the Trefil Tramroad). The northern quarries are now all that survive of the whole, retaining individual quarry faces, well-preserved earthworks and tramways representing several different phases of limestone quarrying from 1829 to 1919.

The monument comprises the remains of quarry workings dating from between 1829 and 1919, tramway embankments thought to date from 1852 and 1879 respectively and a railway embankment dating from 1919, the last phase of the original quarry workings.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the limestone quarrying industry in the nineteenth century, particularly in regard to transportation. Trefil Quarries played a vital role in the development of the iron industry in northern Blaenau Gwent and thus also the communities that were supported by them. The quarry faces, earthworks and tramways may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, mining techniques and functional detail.

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is irregular and measures up to 550m from NNW to SSE by up to 250m transversely.