History ~ Welsh Mines Preservation Trust

WMPT Founding Directors. Left to Right: The Late David Bick, Simon Hughes, John Bennett, The Late George Hall, The Late Damain Mc Curdy, The Late Jeremy Wilkinson, Rob Vernon.

The Welsh Mines Preservation Trust:- Its Origins and its Objectives

Mining for metals, slate and coal throughout Wales and the Border Counties has a long and distinguished history and is an important part of our culture and heritage.

Hundreds of sites, some with Bronze-age origins still evident, are scattered across the region, but nearly all are in a very neglected state. At such mines some of the best and earliest Boulton & Watt and Cornish engine houses still survive. Several are over two hundred years old, and nearly all are in a very ruinous and desperate condition.

Fortunately, the importance of these impressive memorials to the mining industry is now becoming recognised, and a number have been Listed or Scheduled, though regrettably this does not address the immediate and crucial problem of natural decay.

Apart from engine houses; wheelpits, crusher houses and other structures are equally at risk, and the need for some form of fund-raising trust has been strongly advocated in recent years by CADW, English Heritage, the Science Museum, curators and consultants.

The Welsh Mines Preservation Trust was incorporated in 1992 in an attempt to meet the challenge.

Photo: Taken at the Glyn Pits Colliery, Pontypool, South Wales October 2002. Left to right Graham Levins (Secretary), David Bick (Director), Terry Evans (Chairman), Nigel Chapman (Director).

At present the Trustees are mainly drawn from the appropriately specialised members of the Welsh Mines Society, which is a long established body devoted to the history and archaeology of mines and mining.

The aims of the Trust include the raising of funds to implement repairs and consolidate structures. Liaison with landowners, local authorities and other bodies will be sought. Where possible, the final aim will be to make the sites accessible to the public, to enable a proper appreciation of their historical significance and to ensure the maintenance of their fabric in the long term.

If you are interested in joining the Trust either to support our work or to actively take part in our projects, contact the Secretary.

For more information contact:
Graham Levins, Secretary WMPT
1 Stonecrop Close, Broadfield, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 9EP.
01293-510567 Email graham.levins@btinternet.com