The tinplate works at Carmarthen was constructed from 1759 and produced its first tinned plate in 1761. Most stages of production were carried out on the site: pig iron was produced in the blast furnace; the pig iron was converted into bar iron in forges, possibly off-site; rolling mills produced plate from the bar iron; the iron plate was then dipped in molten tin. The works were powered by an earlier leat fed from the Afon Gwili and were served first by river and then by the now dismantled railway. The tinplate is thought to have been used for domestic equipment such as milk churns and buckets.
The works suffered a serious fire in 1823 and closed in 1826. It was reopened in 1831 and finally closed in 1900.
The site is now mostly occupied by a builders yard. There are significant remains of the furnace and an adjoining casting house (NPRN 34043), as well as a large nineteenth century factory building. This last consists of two parallel gabled ranges with stone rubble walls, both about 50m long and 14m wide. The north-west range was built after 1821 and is depicted on the 1st edition OS County series (Carmarthen. XXXIX.3 1890). The south-eastern range had been added by the time of the 2nd edition of 1906. The building has been raised and re-roofed, with a parallel range added on the north-west. Some original features remain(ed) in the north-east gable walls.
The villa of Furnace Lodge, built around 1801 (NPRN 17572), was home to the owners or partners in the works.

Source: James in the Carmarthenshire Antiquary XII (1976), 31-54

John Wiles 16.10.07