1.3 Stages of development

As a result of the consultation and decision-making process, it was decided, as a primary objective, to undertake a systematic survey of the site in order to uncover and understand the industrial archaeology of Aberdulais Falls. This involved removing tons of rubbish, infill and vegetation, and examining in detail the archaeological remains discovered.

During this process, no evidence from the sixteenth-century copper smelting works was uncovered, and it is assumed that this lies beneath the archaeology of the later tinplate works.

The next stage was to make the derelict buildings safe, by consolidating the masonry, and to open the site to the public. This occurred in 1984, and initially Aberdulais Falls received about 2000–3000 visitors per year. The site was attractively landscaped and artists could again make use of the site in an aesthetically pleasing environment. However, it would have given little impression of the noise, smell and physically demanding labour of a tinplate works.