Van Metal Mine

Overview

Van Mine is located in the rural hamlet of Y Fan, approximately 3km northeast of Llanidloes, Powys.

Van Mine was a former lead, zinc, and silver mine. It was one of the most productive lead mines in Europe in the 1870s.

Records of mining trials date back to 1850, with the first ore produced in 1866.

Production started to decline in the 1890s and eventually closed in 1921 primarily due to the fall in lead prices due to cheaper foreign imports.

Several heritage assets remain at the mine site, although most traces of the former operations have since been removed.

Such heritage features include a chimney stack, former mine entries and adits, a covered railway tunnel, tramway columns, the remnant dressing floor and wheelhouse structures.

These assets are to be assessed by specialists to help preserve and protect for future generations.