Scheduled Monuments- Full Report
Summary Description of a Scheduled Monument
Reference Number
GM423
Name
Remains of Venallt Ironworks
Date of Designation
26/03/1982
Status
Designated
Location
Unitary Authority
Neath Port Talbot
Community
Blaengwrach
Easting
286430
Northing
204974
Broad Class
Industrial
Site Type
Ironworks
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Description
Summary Description and Reason for Designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The monument consists of the remains of Venallt Ironworks built in 1830. It ceased production c. 1842. The blast furnace used anthracite in the making of pig iron. The surviving remains comprise an engine house, the base of the chimney stack, a block of slag with two tuyeres left in it, the charging bank retained by a large stone wall, a short section of Protheroe's Tramroad which served the works, a stone-revetted watercourse and waste tips.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance and illustrate our knowledge and understanding of the development of the iron industry. An ironworks may be part of a larger industrial complex and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.
The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.