Welcome to Minera Quarry, once the largest and most important lime works in North Wales.

Now a tranquil nature reserve owned by the North Wales Wildlife Trust, wildlife is gradually recolonising this post-industrial landscape with nectar rich grasslands full of wild flowers, insects and birds. Lead mining was a flourishing industry in the area from the 1300’s extracting galena, the ore used to make lead from deep veins running through the limestone. The burning of limestone to make quick lime for use in local ironworks, building and in agriculture, has taken place in Minera since the early 1600’s followed by the establishment of the Minera Lime Company in 1852 when the industrial scale quarrying and processing of the limestone took off and lasted 200 years until the lime works closed in 1972. Limestone was further quarried for road building until 1993 when the quarry closed. In 2017, the North Wales Wildlife Trust took ownership of the quarry after a long period of negation with Tarmac and working with the Minera Quarry Trust, a local community group who formed to preserve the quarry for its amenity and historical benefit. Visitors are welcome to freely roam the quarry, but please keep to the paths and away from cliff tops & faces and abide by the on-site signage for your own safety.