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Powys Metal Mines Survey


Gwestyn

Gwestyn lies in the community of Llanidloes Without in the county of Powys. It is located at Ordnance Survey national grid reference SN89408610. The mine is recorded in the CPAT Historic Environment Record as number 5943 and this number should be quoted in all correspondence.

Copper/Lead (Pre 19th century/1855-1866)

Geology
Lower Silurian Gwestyn Formation. The Van lode has been exploited on a vein striking ENE. Mineralisation includes a calcite gangue with chalcopyrite and rare galena, sphalerite, chalybite.

Workings
Young's shaft and Pearce's shaft, both filled in, can be seen in the main area of mining activity on the top of the hill at SN89528612. There are numerous trials on the hillside close to the main shafts which take the form of shallow shaft-mound type workings. Two shafts are located in the field to the north at SN89708630. The latter shafts were drained by adits to the north.

Transport
There are an immense number of trackways crossing the site many of which appear to pre-date the mining activity. The majority are aligned east-west along the top of the ridge while others ascend the northern slopes from the valley bottom. These features are best viewed on aerial photographs. It is possible that some of the banks and ditches relate to mine trackways and leats but the majority are probably of unrelated earlier and later traffic activity.

Power
A 30ft waterwheel was used for pumping and drawing. The power source was the Gwestyn Brook. A masonry wheelpit can be seen in a hollow close to the present Llanidloes road and probably relates to the above. The first edition map appears to show a pumping engine with flat rods extending to a shaft (probably Pearce's) at SN89608611. Leats and two associated small reservoirs were recorded on the hillside at the time of the field visit.

Processing
No obvious remains other than jigger waste on the spoil tips and areas of manual rock breaking defined by waste rock in sorted heaps.

Other features
A possible two-roomed mine office is shown on the first edition 25" OS map.


This HTML page is reproduced from the Powys and Clwyd Metal Mine Surveys which were undertaken between May 1992 and December 1993 by Mark Walters and Pat Frost of the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust with financial support from Powys County Council, Clwyd County Council and Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments. Further information about this site is available in CPAT's Regional Historic Environment Record.
Page produced by Rachel Stebbings and Chris Martin.