Mine building knocked down

A 19th-century colliery building discovered in a Merthyr mine has been knocked down.

The remains of an engine house uncovered at Ffos-y-fran opencast mining site has been demolished.

The structure, known as the Tyle Dowlais Pit Building, was uncovered by site owners Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd – formerly Miller Argent – in December 2017.

Since then reports by Cadw and consultancy firm Archaeology Wales have found the building to be of no historical significance.

The structure, found in the UK’s largest opencast coalmine, was also found to sit on top of two old mine shafts.

Georgina Taubman, environmental officer at Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, said the building was demolished on Tuesday after it was discovered buried under coil spoil.

She said: “We anticipated it coming up from the old historical records from the area.

“We discovered it where we thought it would be and contacted the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust who acted on behalf of the local authority.

“They said given that the site is not a particularly rare type of building they had no issue with it being taken down. There was nothing of sufficient interest for it to be scheduled which leads to it becoming protected.

“When we demolished it an archaeologist came and filmed it in case something of interest was found.”

According to the reclamation scheme, plans for the building date back to 1844. It is believed to have housed winches to help mine ironstone near the pit head.

Since its discovery, concerns have been raised over trespassers visiting the “unstable” site which is visible from the A470.

It comes after a drone image of the building was widely shared on social media.

Ms Taubman said: “We have had people trespassing to get a look at the building. We raised concerns as it is a pit head and there are mine shafts in the area.

She added: “We have done everything required of us and everything is above board.”

Sian Thomas, project officer at Archaeology Wales, said a remote survey of the building was undertaken using drones on behalf of the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.

She said: “The site was incredibly dangerous. We conducted a drone survey so we have a 3D model of it but the building was unusable.

“We have much better versions of the building elsewhere.”

A spokeswoman for Merthyr council confirmed the building was taken down after research into its history was conducted by Cadw and the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.

Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, monuments and archaeological remains of “national importance” are added to a schedule.

The schedule, compiled through Cadw, ensures buildings are protected and are usually given a listed status.