A rare photo taken underground at Minera showing miners using an early type rock drill, note the candles attached to their felt hats.

The underlying limestone around Minera is rich in metal ores, particularly lead and zinc.

Between 1819 and 1914, over 30 different companies prospected for lead nearby, digging 50 shafts and extracting lead ore worth over £4 million! The biggest hazard in the mines was the risk of flooding, particularly as the shafts deepened. Drainage channels were dug and the deepest of these, known as the Deep Day Level emerges beside the Clywedog near Nant Mill. The Romans were probably the first to mine the lead – the name ‘Minera’ comes from the Latin word for ore. Mining continued throughout the Middle Ages and, by the 14th century, lead was such an important commodity that the miners received special privileges such as exemptions from taxes.

A group of mine workers, c.1900, the ones wearing felt hats with a candle attached by a lump of clay are underground miners, the rest are surface workers.