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The Brassey Washery, located in the town of Naracauli, is one of the most significant industrial complexes linked to mining activity in Sardinia.

Inaugurated on 17 October 1900, in the presence of all the company employees and the authorities, the washery owes its name to Lord Thomas Allnutt Brassey, president of the company Pertusola Mining Ltd, who promoted its construction to modernise and improve the treatment of minerals extracted in the mines of Ingurtosu and Gennamari. The washery was initially designed to treat lead minerals, the object of the mining concessions held by the company. Faced with the expansion of cultivation at the Filone Brassey, very rich in zinc minerals, the company requested the extension of the concession to these minerals, which led to the expansion of the washery to the treatment of zinc minerals.

At the same time, a new and more functional building was built in the Piscinas mining yard, adjacent to the galena warehouse and stables, dedicated to housing the enriched zinc mineral: the blende.

The Washery stands out for its grandeur and the functionality of its structures. Made of local stone, it is structured on multiple levels, a feature that optimised its operation according to the principle of gravity. This system made it possible to facilitate the flow of materials during the various processing phases, reducing manual transport to a minimum. The layout of the buildings followed a well-planned layout: the raw minerals arrived at the upper level via trains or cableways, while the crushing, washing and separation operations took place on the lower floors.

The main body, approximately 250 metres long, housed the machinery for crushing the mineral and the sieves for selecting the grain sizes. The complexity of the plant was accentuated by the presence of internal transport systems, such as belts and hoppers, which facilitated the passage of the mineral from one compartment to another. Next to the washery, there were other buildings functional to the production process, including warehouses for the storage of treated minerals and rooms for the accommodation of the workers. The supply chain allowed for the treatment of large volumes of material, thus responding to the growing demand for zinc on international markets. However, with the decline of the Sardinian mining industry in the second half of the twentieth century, the “Brassey” also saw a progressive abandonment, culminating in its definitive closure in the 1960s. Today, despite the state of abandonment and the degradation caused by exposure to atmospheric agents, the site remains one of the most identifying testimonies of industrial archaeology in Sardinia: the building, with its solid stone structure and large arched openings, continues to dominate the landscape of Naracauli.