Cwmystwyth Mines and Crown Estate

On the 20th May 2013 the Cambrian Mines Trust acquired Cwmytwyth mines from the Crown Estate. The acquisition is as shown on the map below and comprises approximately 138 hectares of land in absolute ownership plus 13 hectares of mineral and sporting rights only.

There is quite a lot to do, putting it mildly; the first priority being to restore underground access in time for this year's NAMHO field meet which the Trust is co-hosting.
To this end the plan is to remove small sections of the existing grills to allow entry and then make a temporary patch to make inadvertent entry by livestock or children impossible. Eventually it is hoped to fit proper hatches which can be opened with a spanner as in Derbyshire.

I will need volunteers for the re-opening. If anyone who has an angle grinder can help, or indeed help in any other way, please contact me soonest as this will be appreciated greatly. Taylor's Level has a grill fitted to the outside of the stone arch which, while effective, is unsightly. The intention is to remove this in its entirety, muck out the entrance restoring the dry stone entry as much as possible, and fit a
'Derbyshire Gate' inside. We shall need to consider health and safety doubly seriously in Taylor's as there is the possibility of bad air in the side passage. This passage may need blocking off temporarily using the remains of the grill for this. Obviously the mucking out of the entrance should improve air flow; however I will have the area assessed by people with oxygen meters before access is sanctioned. Volunteers with a meter will be most welcome

I would very much like to thank everyone for their patience and co operation while all this has been going through. It has been fairly common knowledge but I asked everyone to keep any mention of all this off the Internet. There have been no problems at all in this way, you have all been lovely, and it has reinforced my faith in
human nature.

A final thing to record is the background to all this, and our relationship with the Crown Estate. The matter has been very protracted, and my personal illness in 2010 has not helped matters. The Crown Estate has been beyond reproach in all this and has acted with the highest integrity; without their kind support and obvious commitment to 'doing the right thing' none of this would have happened. Their final act of kindness was the consolidation and safety work of the remaining surface buildings which removed from the Trust a huge burden of necessary expense. Their actions are highly commendable and deserve our best thanks.

Roy A Fellows

Director