Parc Mine

Overview

Parc, in the Gwydir Forest near Llanrwst, was the largest and longest-lived of the area's lead and zinc mines — worked on and off for over a century and, by the time it finally closed in 1963, the last mine still operating in the forest.

History

The mine began in 1855 as the Gwydyr Park Consols, an amalgamation of older workings, and was worked intermittently up to the 1940s. It reopened in 1950 and, between 1953 and 1957 alone, produced more lead and zinc ore than the whole of the wider Llanrwst mining area had between 1848 and 1939. Underground, its principal lode had been driven far enough to connect with the older Llanrwst and Cyffty mines, though neither offered any substantial remaining ore. Parc closed for good in 1963, having recovered more than 10,000 tons of lead and 4,000 tons of zinc over its working life, and was interconnected underground with eleven other mines in the district.

What remains

After closure, a large spoil tip below the Level 3 adit caused ongoing problems: flash flooding eroded the tip and washed metal-rich sediment onto farmland more than a kilometre downstream, prompting a reclamation scheme in 1977 that stabilised the tip and built a new lined channel for the Nant Gwydyr stream. The Level 3 adit entrance collapsed in 2011, redirecting drainage through the Level 4 adit via a natural void known as Kneebones Cutting. The site holds Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation status, and Natural Resources Wales and the Mining Remediation Authority are developing a further remediation scheme for the site under the Wales Metal Mines Programme, with construction anticipated from 2026.

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.

• Parc recovered more than 10,000 tons of lead and 4,000 tons of zinc over its working life, and was interconnected underground with eleven other mines in the Gwydir Forest district. ¹
• A large spoil tip below the Level 3 adit caused repeated pollution incidents after closure, with flash floods washing metal-rich sediment onto farmland more than a kilometre downstream, until a 1977 reclamation scheme stabilised the tip and built a new lined channel for the Nant Gwydyr stream. ¹
• The Level 3 adit entrance collapsed in 2011, redirecting the mine's drainage through the Level 4 adit via a natural void known as Kneebones Cutting. ¹
• A 2017 report describes numerous ore chutes and dangerous false floors in the upper levels, with some collapsed sections dropping 70 feet or more, and notes that Level 2 was used for scientific pendulum experiments studying coastal deformation in 1968 before being sealed. (uncertain) ²

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (primary) Parc Mine — Natural Resources Wales
2. (observational) Parc Lead Mine, North Wales — September 2017 — 28DaysLater

Record created: 20 August 2026 · Last researched: 20 August 2026