In 1835 the enlarged tinplate and other works owned by Vigurs and Co. stood at the foot of the Foel mountain.
A culvert  [ flue ]  nearly a mile in length was constructed to its summit, to take the noxious copper smoke out of the reach of the Cwmavon people. This culvert was arched with stones for its entire length, and was 15 ft wide an
10 ft high. At the summit a 30 foot stack was built.
By March 1838 the whole project was completed with 2600 tons of copper being produced in its first full year.

John Vigurs left Cwmavon for his retirerment at Cornwall in May 1838, William Brunton took over until a new manager was appointed.

But who was this William Brunton, well as far as Cwmavon is concernerned, it was he who was in charge of the engineers and men who constructed the flue and summit Stac Y Foel.

This William Brunton 1777-1851,Engineer , was the eldest of three sons of Robert Brunton. He studied mechanics in his father`s watch and clock making shop, and engineering under his grandfather, who was a local colliery manager.Then 
on leaving school he worked in the fitting shops of the New Lanark cotton mills. From there in about 1795 he obtained employment at Soho works of Boulton and Watt, eventually becoming foreman and superintendent of the engine factory.
From there he joined William Jessop`s Butterley works in Derbyshire, which specialized in the production of castings.

It was at Butterley he invented a walking machine called the " mechanical traveller " or " steam horse " [ patent 3700 ], which he built in 1813, and which worked at  the Newbottle colliery, Co.Durham. The machine used metal stem 
powered legs to push itself forward. On 31 July 1815, after receiving a new  larger boiler, this machine exploded because of the driver`s carelessness, and unfortunately several people were killed and many injured.

Later in 1815 Brunton became a partner and engineering manager in the firm of Francis, Smith, Dearman, and Brunton [ the Eagle Foundry ]. of Broad Street, Birmingham. Here they manufactured  various metal products. By 1825 Brunton 
had moved to London, but in 1835 he took a share in the Cwmavon tin works, where he designed and erected copper smelting furnaces and rolling mills at the foot of the Foel Mountain. He then became involved with the Maesteg ironworks,
and also with the Vale of Neath brewery in 1838; but by 1847 the latter had failed and his life savings were lost.

And so with his work finished at Cwmavon, Brunton moved the few miles west to Eagles Bush House,Lower Lantwit Neath. in order to  salvage his financial interests in the Vale of Neath Brewery as we can view below:

Son Robert Brunson had already left Cwmavon to be part of the management at Yniscedwin works Neath Valley.

No sooner had William Brunton moved into Eaglebush House near Neath, that his wife Ann Elizabeth [ nee ] Button died there in May 1841.
The St.Catwg burial Index shows that Alice Elizabeth Brunton was buried  27.May 1841 Eaglebush aged 52 years. No other Brunton entries in this index.

1841.Eagles Bush House.Lower Lantwit.Neath.
Wm.Brunton 64.civil engineer.Scotland.
Robt.Brunton 25. civil engineer n.
Morin Brunton 20.                      n.
John Brunton 15.
Gwendlin Bruton 7.
also 4 servants.
 
Note the above shows the Brunton`s still maintained four servants in their household, but son Robert was doing well also as a civil Engineer, for in July 1841 the newly opened English Baptist Chapel at Neath had been designed by
him.

William Brunton civil Engineer Neath sells a steam engine.

Son Robert died at Maesteg Iron Works in July 1952 aged 56 years, and was buried at Llangynwyd 10 July 1852.

Brunton was an early member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and developed a number of original methods of reducing ore and manufacturing metals patented in 1841, and the machinery for the processes. He played an important part 
in the introduction of steam navigation by making some of the original engines for craft on the Humber and Trent, and some of the earliest on the Mersey.  He fitted out the Sir Francis Drake at Plymouth in 1824, the first steamer to
take a man-of-war in tow.

Williams Brunton died at Camborne Cross, Camborne on the 5th of October 1851. that being the home of his son William.

1841.Eagles Bush House.Lower Lantwit.Neath.
Wm.Brunton 64.civil engineer.Scotland.
Robt.Brunton 25. civil engineer n.
Morin Brunton 20.                      n.
John Brunton 15.
Gwendlin Bruton 7.
also 4 servants.

1851.Camborne Cross.Camborne. Cornwall.
William Brunton hd.m.33.civil engineer. Birmingham.
Jane Brunton wife.32.                              Yorkshire.
William E.Brunton son.8.                          Manchester.
Maria Bruton dau.6.                                Neath.
Charles R.Brunton son.3.                        Cornwall.
John F.Brunton son.1.                              Cornwall.
William Brunton father widwr.74.civil engineer. 
Gwenllian Brunton sister 16.goveness. Middlesex.