Bryn-tail Leadworks

Peaceful remains of a busy industrial hub

Sitting in the shadow of the dam at the southern end of Llyn Clywedog Reservoir, Bryn-tail’s buildings illuminate a time when this tranquil spot was a bustling site of industry. During the 19th century this was a noisy, smoky place as lead was extracted and processed, before being transported to nearby Llanidloes and shipped down the River Severn.

Bryn-tail closed in 1884 as the local mining boom came to an end. The remains that still stand include crushing houses, ore bins, roasting ovens, smithy and the mine manager's office.

Opening times & prices

Opening times

1st April - 31st March	Open all year
Open all year — during reasonable daylight hours

Visitor information

Dogs welcome

Car park

Walking difficulty

Terrain: Level 3 — Moderate

Drone policy

No smoking

Health & Safety

There is a 10-minute sloped walk down to the site.

The route is undercover of trees and may be slippery on occasions. The bridge too may be slippery when wet, please take care during poor weather conditions. The route is protected from the Clywedog River and dam, please remain within the fenced areas.

Bryntail is a diverse site with a range of industrial sections sited at different levels of the site. Located on the side of a valley, the monument is sloped at sections. There are lots of opportunities to explore within the monument which require the use of small stone slab bridges and steps. Please use handrails where provided.

As an industrial site there are some risks associated with exposed falls, above wheel pits and tanks. Please stick to the designated route. Guardrails have been installed at some locations to prevent access to any areas of the site that we have deemed as dangerous or to prevent falls in specific areas.

Please do not climb upon the monument, naturally there are areas where there are hidden drops.

Climbing may result in serious injury. Please do not climb over or through any fixed installation.

There is a small brook to the far-left side of the site, please keep children under close supervision.

As with all ancient monuments there is always a risk of stones being dislodged in bad weather, however, we manage this through extensive monitoring.

There are several wild plants and flowers, although these are great pollinators, they may be poisonous to visitors and animals, we strongly advise you not to touch or allow dogs to eat any vegetation.

Please watch our health & safety film before visiting Cadw sites.

Iechyd a Diogelwch / Health & Safety

Please report any anti-social behaviour such as climbing, setting fires, graffiti etc. to CadwAccidentsReports@gov.wales