Tai Mawr Leat

A scheduled ancient monument, the remains of the Tai Mawr Leat run from Cefn Viaduct and down towards the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, which they once served.

Built in 1766/7, (shortly after the cyfarthfa ironworks were founded) as the watercourse that served the Cyfarthfa Ironworks (at that time the third coke-fired blast furnace was being constructed), this was before Richard Crawshay ran the ironworks, and Charles Wood (managing agent for the Cyfarthfa partners Anthony Bacon and William Brownrigg) recorded the construction in his diaries;

Saturday, 2nd May 1767
...Agreed with John Morgan of Tai Mawr for three of his fields, one more than yesterday, where the cut comes through at five pounds ten shillings p. Annum to prevent any dispute about Trespass which I find very difficult...An exorbitant rate...'

Monday, 4th May 1767
'...William Davis, Labourer, was sent to clear the Land belonging to Thomas Lewis, of the stones that fell from the rock in making the Taimawr cut. The men in driving thro' this rock, find it hard & go on but slowly.'

Much of the leat is still intact, despite being very overgrown in places, and originally underwent a phased development. It was designed by William Edwards (architect of the Pontypridd bridge) and revised by Wood to reach a higher point on the Taff.



The leat disappears into a cut tunnel (102 yards) with a stone paved floor before emerging and returning to the river bank. The walling constructed to hold up the bank failed sometime before 1850, and the tunnel was extended to the end of the fingertip along side which it remains an open channel. There is also a former rail crossing in evidence.



The Cyfarthfa fingertip, alongside the leat is a testament to the amount of waste produced by the one time biggest Ironworks in the World.

The thousands of tons of iron produced in the 19th Century, resulted in the production of several tons of waste products which had to be deposited somewhere and scrambling up the Cyfarthfa Finger you can see the cinder, ash and slag at first hand!

A site of special scientific interest, nature is now reclaiming this land back, with tree roots cracking through the jet black slag, and Dippers, Buzzards and Meadow Brown butterflies being in regular residence in the area. From the top of the finger you also get a great view of the confluence between the Taf Fechan and Taf Fawr rivers.

Article written by JN.
Photographs by SD.