MineArchiveCwmsymlog Mine
| Location | Trefeurig, Ceredigion — 52.4275, -3.9436 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodities | Lead, Silver |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | 1585 (organised working); prehistoric/Roman workings suspected earlier–1901 |
| Operators | Mines Royal (1585–?) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
Once described as 'the richest in lead and silver of any in His Majesty's Dominions', one of the most important and longest-documented lead and silver mines in Wales.
History
Cwmsymlog was probably first worked in prehistoric or Roman times, though most of its surviving visible features date from the 16th to 19th centuries. Organised working began in 1585, when the Crown-chartered Mines Royal company started excavation, and the site is exceptionally well documented from that point onward. From the 1620s, under Sir Hugh Myddelton, the mine and its surrounding community grew, with a chapel built to serve mineworkers. In 1747 the antiquarian Lewis Morris described Cwmsymlog as 'the richest in lead and silver of any in His Majesty's Dominions'. A Cornish pumping engine was installed in 1840, but by then the accessible reserves were nearly exhausted and the mine closed soon after; it was reopened in 1850 as East Darren Mine and worked successfully until 1882, with further, more limited working continuing until final closure in 1901.
Geology
Cwmsymlog worked lead and silver-bearing veins typical of the Central Wales orefield, in the upland Cambrian Mountains area of Ceredigion.
Workings
Ore was worked from multiple shafts, including those known as Skinner's Shaft, Taylor's Shaft and Pryse's Shaft, with ore dressing supported by leats and waterwheel pits on site.
Closure
The original mine closed in the early 1840s once its accessible reserves were exhausted; reopened as East Darren Mine in 1850, it worked until 1882, with the site finally closing for good in 1901.
What remains
A well-documented upland archaeological site with substantial surviving mining remains, protected as a Scheduled Monument.
Shaft mounds, a surviving mine chimney, a tramway, leats, waterwheel pits, spoil tips and a reservoir remain visible across the site.
Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The antiquarian Lewis Morris described Cwmsymlog in 1747 as 'the richest in lead and silver of any in His Majesty's Dominions'. 1
- Organised working began in 1585 under the Crown-chartered Mines Royal company, though the site was probably worked earlier still, in prehistoric or Roman times. 1,2
- A Cornish pumping engine installed in 1840 could not offset nearly exhausted reserves, and the mine closed soon after; reopened as East Darren Mine in 1850, it worked until 1882, with final closure in 1901. 1,3
Images
Sources
- (secondary) Cwmsymlog Lead Mine, Trefeurig, Ceredigion — Ancient Monuments
- (secondary) Cwmsymlog History — Ceredigion Historical Society
- (secondary) Cwmsymlog — Wikipedia
Record created: 21 August 2026 · Last researched: 21 August 2026