Ystrad Einion copper mine

Ystrad Einion copper mine is at Cwm Einion (artists valley) near the village of Furnace, not far from Aberystwyth, mid-west Wales. Mining began here on a small scale in the early 1800's, but the main mining activity took place towards the later part of that century.

The waterwheel was installed by Adam Mason, a Lancastrian businessman who invested £3,000 on modern state-of-the-art equipment (equivalent to 1/4 million in today's money) into developing the mine for metal extraction, including lead, silver and zinc, but primarily copper. Several previous companies had mined here earlier but the mine was officially re-opened on the 21st September 1877 with a sumptuous dinner for Adam Mason, the workmen and others involved in its creation. Adam Mason had big plans and ambitions for the mine, but it was not a financial success.

Miners drilled long, slender holes in the rock, packed it with gunpowder and blew holes in the mine, then shovelled the resulting rocks into wheel barrows. Water was the main source of power and came via a leat running from the river Einion 2 kilometres up stream.

The Underground water wheel, which is nearly five meters in diameter and the largest underground water wheel in the UK, powered a winding drum for bringing ore to a higher level in the mine before its removal to the surface and operated drainage pumps. The wheel turned anti-clockwise and was fed with water from above.  Below ground there were 4 working levels, access was via adits cut into the hillsides.

The blue formation seen in one of the pictures below is copper sulphate.

The water wheel has a cast iron rim, the wooden spokes and buckets are rotting away. What remains of the winding drum stands in front of the wheel. Water still trickles over the wheel in an otherwise now silent and dark mine.

Ystrad Einion Copper MineThe blue formation seen in the foreground is copper sulphate. Water wheel, Ystrad Einion Copper Mine, Mid-West Wales, UKThe largest underground water wheel in the UK. Almost five meter diameter. Water wheel, Ystrad Einion Copper Mine, Mid-West Wales, UKThe largest underground water wheel in the UK. Almost five meter diameter. Ystrad Einion Copper Mine. The exit from an adit. Ystrad Einion Copper Mine, Mid-West Wales, UK Ystrad Einion Copper Mine, Mid-West Wales, UK Ystrad Einion Copper Mine, Mid-West Wales, UK