Water Wheel - Pontrhydgroes, Ceredigion, Wales - Working Water Wheels on Waymarking.com

This project has involved installing a monumental water wheel at Pontrhydygroes, a village synonymous with the Lisburne metal mines that were active in the area during the 18th & 19th centuries.

The wheel is positioned in the exact spot where a 26 foot wheel drove stamps which pulverised the ore, back in the 1850s. The water which pours from the site now turns the wheel.

The water source for this wheel is the same as it was in the 1850s, the fast flowing River Einion that runs down the steep mountains, draining from the nearby flood plane, down the hill to the River Rheidol nearby the 'Thieves' Steps'.

During the peak years of mining, some of the work was done by Cornishmen, who with their experience were often employed as 'Captains' or managers of the mines. Near Pontrhydygroes the Lisburne Mining Company built a Wesleyan Methodist chapel for them. This was the first such chapel built in the county. Today it lies forgotten and in ruins set back from the road among the ferns and the oak trees. Italians were also brought in to work the mines.

There are no signs at the location yet, but they are planned. If one pops up please take a photo of it.

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit and a brief description of your experience and any additional information you may have about the waterwheel, its current condition, etc. We would very much like at least one original photo from your visit, but it is not absolutely necessary.

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