MEM25222 - Possible 19th Century mining openwork on Wester Emmetts (Monument)

A substantial, slightly curving, linear cut in the western side of the combe, aligned broadly east to west and measuring c. 100 metres long and up to 8 metres wide. Three drainage ditches join it at its western end. Its size suggests it is best interpreted as a mining or prospecting openwork dating to the 19th Century, which would be consistent with its location within the mining sett leased by the Dowlais Iron Company in the mid 19th Century. However, little spoil is apparent raising the possibility that it is an erosion feature produced by water flowing into it from the drainage ditches. [1] The feature has been transcribed as part of the drainage system recorded as MMO2715. [2] The feature is visible on aerial photographs taken in 2021. [3]