Llywernog Mine is an 18th-century

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mine in

Llywernog Llywernog () is a hamlet in the Community (Wales), community of Blaenrheidol, Ceredigion, Wales. Llywernog is represented in the Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament, Senedd by Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru) and the Member of Parliament is Ben Lake (Pla ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, currently run as an

industrial heritage Industrial heritage refers to the physical and intangible legacy of industrialisation, including buildings, machinery, workshops, sites, and landscapes of historical and technological significance. Stefan Berger and Steven High define industrial h ...

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

and

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

. Exploiting the mineralised rocks of the Central Wales Orefield, it is one of many silver-lead mines in Wales, and unlike many others it still has a large number of intact buildings and mining equipment, much of which has been restored as part of the museum. The first vein of

galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

, an

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

which contains silver and lead, was discovered around 1742, and active mining commenced in the 1770s. Mining continued intermittently for over a century, interspersed with phases of idleness and with many changes of management. However in 1891, low lead prices forced the mine to close. The mine was briefly active again from 1907 to 1911, when

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

was extracted. In 1974 restoration work began, and the site opened as a museum later that year. In 2012, the site was rebranded as The Silver Mountain Experience, and included an underground horror attraction set in the mine.

Related mines

There were four mines, including Llywernog, within a one-mile radius. The other three are Powell's mine to the west of Llywernog, Clara mine to the east, and

Ponterwyd Ponterwyd () is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales, approximately east of Aberystwyth on the A44 road. History At the village's heart lies (English: ''The Old Bridge''), a steep single-arch late 1 ...

mine east of Clara; but Llywernog is the only one with any visible buildings left. Another mine called the Bog, or Craignant Bach, is located to the north-east of Llywernog, and north of Ponterwyd. Bodcoll mine is to the south-east of Llywernog, near

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...

History

Early history (1742–1825)

The first

vein was discovered around 1742. The site was leased to Lewis Morris by D. Jones in 1749, but there is no evidence of work at the mine before Morris' death in 1765. No lease records can be found until October 1, 1789, when Margaret Pyrse leased the mine to John Pierce, William Poole, and John Jones. Mining likely begun in the 1770s, after the construction of a turnpike road which made ore transport by pony easier. By 1791 there were 60 employed miners. At this time, there was at least one water wheel, called the "engine", and jobs included deepening the main shaft, pumping water, mining and raising ore, cutting ground, and making preparations for the engine. By 1795 there were at least two water wheels in operation, but work stopped in summer 1795 due to water shortages. Around 1810 another water wheel was constructed for draining the mine. At this time the mine was in the possession of Poole, and after this period the mine is sometimes known as "Poole's mine". A draft lease suggests that the site was leased to Michael Williams and William Williams of

Scorrier House Scorrier House, located near the village of Scorrier, Cornwall, England, UK, is a country house and the seat of the Williams family. Scorrier House is also home to an important Cornish garden, Scorrier House Stud and, more recently, the Great Est ...

Gwennap Gwennap () is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about five miles (8 km) southeast of Redruth. Hamlets of Burncoose, Comford, Coombe, Gwennap, Coombe, Crofthandy, Cusgarne, Fernsplatt, Frogpool, Hick's M ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, partners of Williams, Foster, and Co., in 1825, who leased many other mines in

Cardiganshire Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Ab ...

between 1825 and 1840. However, just two years later they tried to

rescind In contract law, rescission is an equitable remedy which allows a contractual party to cancel the contract. Parties may rescind if they are the victims of a vitiating factor, such as misrepresentation, mistake, duress, or undue influence. Resci ...

their lease, as the price of lead had fallen to a level which made Llywernog unprofitable.

Rheidol United Mines Company and Llywernog Mines Company (1840–1852)

The next records of the mine are from 1840, when it was being worked by William Lewis, who was trying to sell it and the nearby Powell's mine for £500, including tools, pumps, two water wheels, and twelve tons of ore. The original plan was for the mine to be run by a new company with shareholders consisting of the buyer Robert Dunkin of

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

, the seller Lewis, Matthew Francis who advised Dunkin on the sale, and a J.H. Shears. Dunkin also bought the Rhiwrugos (now known as Erwtomau) and Nantglas mines, located a couple of miles south-west of Llywernog in the Rheidol Valley. Together with Llywernog, the three mines were all run under a single company, the Rheidol United Mines Company, managed by Lewis, Dunkin, and Francis. By 1843 Shears and Dunkin had fallen into disagreement, and Shears bought Dunkin's shares. The three mines were now in the hands of Shears, who ran them under the name Llywernog Mines Company. By 1845 he had relinquished the three mines. J. Holdsworth held a take-note for the mine in 1851, and took out a lease in 1852, but no records show any ore sold by his company.

Llywernog United Mining Company (1858–1861)

In 1858 the new Llywernog United Mining Company was formed to run the Llywernog, Ponterwyd, and Bog mines. Work continued at Llywernog, sinking the main shaft to below the

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) or stulm is a horizontal or nearly horizontal passage to an underground mine. Miners can use adits for access, drainage, ventilation, and extracting minerals at the lowest convenient level. Adits are a ...

, and in early 1859 it was drained to below the level, but the 20-foot wheel was unable to drain to the bottom of the shaft. Not much work was done during this period.

John Barton Balcombe (1861–1875)

Balcome & Co., run by John Barton Balcombe, took over the running of the Clara mine in 1861, and Llywernog a few months later in the same year. They paid £2,000 to the Llywernog United Mining Company for Llywernog. They installed a 40-foot water wheel from Bodcoll mine to fully drain the mine. By December 1862 the mine had been drained to the level, and plans were made to sink it to . In 1863 there were 14 men working at the mine, and work continued throughout the 1860s. The Llywernog Mining Company was formed in 1868, managed by Balcombe. By summer 1869, the main shaft had been sunk to , but a lack of water to turn the wheel allowed the mine to flood back to the level. In response to this, a 16-horsepower

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...

was installed in December. The price of purchasing and transporting coal was high, so the engine was only used when the water wheels could not be run. In 1871 ponds began to be used to store water to keep the wheels running during dry periods, and this allowed the main shaft to be sunk again to its final depth of . The yield and price of lead during this period were low, leading to a new Llywernog Mining Company being floated in 1872, retaining Balcombe but replacing the mine captain. Plans were drawn up to sink the shaft to , but the existing 40-foot water wheel was already struggling with the depth. Work continued until 1873, but water began to rise in the mine again and work stopped. Some work was done from 1874, but there are no records of ore being sold after 1873. A 50-foot water wheel was constructed in 1875, powered by a 6- or 7-mile

leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Othe ...

system.

Powell Mines Company (1875–1891)

In 1875 Balcombe was imprisoned for

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

, but work continued as an annexe of Powell's mine. By the end of the 1870s the mine was idle, but in 1882 the Powell Mines Company, run by Nicholas Bray and Evan Hanson, took over at Llywernog. Balcombe's lease from 1870 was still valid, but though the terms had been violated, mining continued. In 1886 a Deed of Revocation was served for violation of the lease, but Bray and Hanson instead paid £16 a year until it expired in 1891. Little was accomplished during this time, but the main shaft was renamed as "Hanson's Shaft", after the co-director of the company. Low lead prices in 1891 forced many mines, including Powell's and Llywernog, to close.

Zinc mining and closure (1907–1914)

In 1907, Scottish Cardigan Mines, Ltd. leased the mine for its zinc prospects. The 50-foot wheel completely pumped out the mine and Hanson's Shaft was re-timbered, but by 1911 the price of zinc had fallen again and the mine was closed. There is record of some work done by Thomas Jenkins in 1914, but he did not have much success. The 50-foot water wheel, which could be seen from the A44, was demolished in 1953 after falling into a state of disrepair.

Restoration and mining museum (1973–2012)

In 1973, Peter Lloyd Harvey, Dr S. H. Harvey, and Bob Griffin formed the Mid Wales Mining Museum Ltd., and obtained a lease to develop the site. Restoration work began in 1974, and after restoring some of the mine buildings the site opened to the public as a heritage museum in August. Work continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, restoring the buildings and mining equipment, and clearing the underground tunnels.

The Silver Mountain Experience (2012–Present)

In 2012, Llywernog Mine was rebranded to The Silver Mountain Experience, which included the opening of The Black Chasm, an underground scare attraction set in the mine.

Shafts, buildings, and features

Main shaft

The main mine shaft was sunk to deep, with many levels driven during mining, from the 10-fathom level to the 72-fathom level. A large part of the shaft is flooded.

Balcombe's Level

Balcombe's Level is a tunnel to the east of the main shaft, the last prospecting

opened by Balcombe. It was the first underground area to be cleared and made accessible to the public.

References

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, work= Great Britain County Series, 6 inches to the mile, year=1886 Lead mines in Wales Mining museums in Wales History of Ceredigion