Aberthaw Limeworks

On December the 22nd 1888  

'The Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company'

 opened the lime works at Aberthaw near the coast of South Wales. 

The owner David Owen was also the  owner of the

  local newspaper 'Western Mail' which still exists today.

Visit Date August 2023

Aberthaw Limeworks

The works were primarily built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland and were readily available.

The lime produced at Aberthaw was well known before the opening of the lime works and subsequent cement works. Experiments in 1756-7 were undertaken by John Smeaton to test the setting qualities of lime in seawater preparatory to designing and building the Eddystone lighthouse. Although Aberthaw lime was not used in the final construction of this lighthouse the fame it got from its inclusion of testing of materials to be used in the construction and its use in the actual construction of other docks, piers, harbours, ports and other lighthouses naturally led to increased demand which could not be fully met until this major new works was built.

Aberthaw Limeworks

Aberthaw Lime mixed with Pozzolana and fired produced a remarkably hard lime mortar whose quality of setting under water proved invaluable and may have been the forerunner to Portland Cement.

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Aberthaw Lime Works ran until its closure in 1926 and is now a derelict structure.

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The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact however there has been some work done to preserve what is left and the structure is now a grade II listed building.

Internal image of the building

What we see today are 2 large vertical pot draw kilns that would have held up to 300 tons each and produced 40 tons of lime per day.

A tramway leading to the top of the kilns serviced the lime and coal for the kilns but this has now disappeared.

These wagons with the material would then have been winched to the kiln top by cables via a winding house which also has disappeared.

The lime would have been withdrawn from the bottom of the kilns again by trams and some of the track still exists and can be seen at the base of the kiln.

Base of the kiln showing rail tracks

The surviving remains include roofless stone buildings which would have housed the crushing plant and boilers. 

One of the main buildings

Internal view of one of the main remaining buildings

The square brick chimney can still be seen and is perhaps the most iconic part seen from a distance, alongside this would have been the engine house sadly this has been demolished.

The interior of the kilns is lined with firebrick and iron doors. 

The carefully constructed stone-lined draught tunnels under the kilns can still be seen. 

Interior of kiln

Draft tunnel of kiln

Although this works closed in 1926 cement is still produced in this area about 1km north of the site, at a factory founded in 1914. It receives limestone from an adjoining quarry.

Constructed near the south Wales coast, and despite being surrounded by trees it is still quite a landmark that can be seen from the coast if one walks along the Wales coastal path.

Its location is just east of the now decommissioned Aberthaw power station, whose tall chimney in the distance can still be seen dwarfing the lime works chimney.

Looking out to sea further the cold water inlet from the power station, which looks like something from a Star Wars movie, can be seen just off the coast close by.

Footer:Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.38587662515887, -3.383564003219934


What Three Words reference: -
///faced.denser.booms

OS Details: -
ST 03813 66115 Altitude:38 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is very easy but parking close is not.

The best place for this is to park in the Fontygary holiday park car park (51.38526429361768, -3.365962684286137) This park is open to visitors daily throughout the summer. It also has good facilities including a good restaurant and cafe.

From the car park you can walk down to the beach and then head west along the coast until you see the works and then join the coastal path. This would be a reasonably easy 1.6 km. WARNING: This path way is on the beach so watch for the tide times.

Alternatively go north from the car park to the top road of the park and head west. You then leave the park onto a path and then this leads down to the beach, this can by quite a climb however there are quite steep steps down to the beach but if you are mobile you can achieve this. Follow the coastal path then from the beach. This path is only on the beach for a short distance so the tides do not matter. This is slightly shorter at 1.3 km

On both these walks you will leave the beach at (51.385594477460046, -3.3807672028986824) and cross the concrete wall via the gate.

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Ynyscedwyn Ironworks

The site of the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks is a remnant 

of the past and is one of the most iconic sights

in the village of Ystradgynlais near Swansea.

Visit Date March 2023

Click on the any image for a larger view

Ynyscedwyn Ironworks' long history has been traced. Thanks to a find of pig iron it has been able to date iron production here back to 1612.

As you would expect the site has gone through many changes over the centuries.

What we see today is dated from a stone in the base of the wall of the chimney dated 1872 and is what is left of a mill that was constructed then possibly for Steel production. This was never completed and the site shortly after this housed a tinplate works.

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By 1837 three blast furnaces were running at the site which increased to 6 by 1853.

by 1854 the Inyscedwyn Ironworks were the largest producer in the country.

However, the glory days of the works were soon in decline after this date and by 1869-70 the works were closed.

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It was then that the rolling mill project was started, the remains of which we see today. But they were never completed and work was started converting the site to a tin works.

The tin works consisted of three operating mills from the periods 1889-1903 and 1905-41 before they also went the way of the ironworks.

The site then lay in disrepair until the site was cleared and landscaped in the late 20th century only leaving what we see today primarily the 1872 chimney and the massive arches on either side.

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Also on the site, a few pieces of the works are left. A dram or coal cart, the remains of a winding mechanism and the remains of a miner's cage.

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The site of the ironworks is open to the public and a housing estate is close by and also a children's playground is now alongside the historical site.

Footer:Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.7682972861281, -3.7642929522232205

Google search term:
Ynyscedwyn Iron Works

What Three Words reference: -
///glassware.clips.demanding

OS Details: -
SN 78346 09208 : Altitude:230 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is very easy.
From the M4 junction 45 take the A4067 north then the B4559 the site is Situated on grassed site bounded by Glan-Rhyd Road and Pont Aur, just N of Ystradgynlais Hospital.
There is a parking at the site. (51.76851605993839, -3.7649497331170707).









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Port Eynon Salthouse

  

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P o r t  E y n o n  S a l t h o u s e

On Port Eynon Point, on the Gower peninsular, overlooking the bay are the surviving remains of the sixteenth-century Port Eynon Salt House.

Much of what survives today owes to the excavation and subsequent protection of the site.

As well as other valuable industries such as coal, iron, lime and fisheries salt is perhaps overlooked but the Salthouse at Porth Eynon is a reminder of this important and valuable commodities production.

Visit Date August 2022

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The complex is of three stone-lined chambers, with walls approximately one metre thick with stone-flagged floors set into the beach at the foot of a low cliff.

The main building still visible today was used for occupation and storage while the three large chambers closest to the beach were used for salt production.

At high tide, the seawater would enter the beach chambers where it would be stored in a holding tank.

 

The water would be pumped into the Panhouse where large iron pans would be heated by coal furnaces and the water would slowly evaporate. The forming salt would then be skimmed off for storage in the northern building to dry completely.

In the 1500s salt was a valuable commodity not least for the preservation of foodstuff. At this time the British Isles imported much of its salt from France, however, during the mid-1500 the English and French were often at war, so the supply was inconsistent, and the cost grew exponentially and so it became clear that salt produced at home was needed.

The first of the new salt works were set up in 1566 at Dover, Southampton, and on the Essex coast. In the same year, works were established at Blythe near Newcastle, and in the following year, similar concerns were set up in Suffolk and in another part of Essex.

Much of the records of the salt production largely ignored Welsh salt production, but there are records of the salt production that started in mid-west Wales near the Dyfi estuary.

The first knowledge of a salt house at Port Eynon is also mentioned in a document of 1598. It would seem Welsh salt houses of the later 16th century were amongst the most advanced of their day. The value of the salt is perhaps shown by the fact that the site was fortified during the 17th century, with the inclusion of musket loops within the thick walls. It appears, however, salt production ceased around the mid-17th century.

Of course, this is Wales and therefore myths and legends always surround such buildings and this site is no exception.

This site has attracted some interesting stories about its history. The historical annotation of the Lucas family claimed the building was erected in the mid-16th century and fortified by John Lucas who apparently also fortified Culver Hole (previous blog here) connecting the two via an underground passage. From this stronghold, aided by a group of lawless men, he engaged in piracy, resisting all attempts by the authorities to dislodge him. It is also said that 7 generations later another John Lucas found a rich vein of paint mineral and exported it from his base at the Salt House but shortly after his death the building was ruined in a storm. Although interesting this history was later shown to be a fabricated family history written by the Rev. Dr. J. H. Spry during the 1830s in connection with a family lawsuit over the ownership of the property.

Later in the building's life, some of the buildings were demolished but occupation continued in the main house. The most recent was the use of the northern end as oystermen's cottages, which were finally abandoned circa 1880.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.53986210851509, -4.208391765954198

What Three Words reference: -
///expiring.bookmark.bright

OS Details: -
SS 46942 84634 Altitude: 13 ft

Additional information.
Visiting is really easy as in Port Eynon there is a large public car park (51.54431040120058, -4.2118757381346805) which is adjacent to a caravan and camping holiday site. There is also public toilets and a café, shop and take away.
The walk is around 600 metres from the car park and is easy and flat.
Just walk through the camping site and past the Youth Hostal.

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