1. The History
Abercorris slate quarry is located near the village Corris Uchaf, 5 miles north of Machynlleth, in Gwynedd, Wales. Its story is one of a mid-Wales slate quarry that struggled to remain a viable proposition over a century of operations. The slate quarry was worked between the mid-1840s up until the early 1950s. The quarry consisted of two hillside workings which developed into pits (up to 1,000 feet in altitude) accessed by tunnels. Material was then lowered by incline to a mill approximately 600 ft below. The first mill was water-powered, while a later and larger one was driven by oil engine. Latterly, it was also worked underground. It was connected to the Corris Railway via the Upper Corris Tramway, carrying its output to the Cambrian Railways at Machynlleth for distribution.
Records from 1841 list one slate miner boarding at Craig-y-Fachddu Farm, while the 1851 census shows quarry agent John Parry living in the farmhouse. Ten years later in 1861, two quarrymen's cottage are listed as part of the Abercorris quarry complex. The land was then leased to Thomas Green of London in 1863. Off the back of the following slate boom, in 1874 the Cwmodyn Slate & Slab Quarry Company was formed.
This was short lived and as demand slumped, the company was sold at auction in 1878. New owner, J.W. Orchard recommenced operations in 1880. In 1882 the quarry produced over 4,000 tons of finished slate, worth £11,600 (or £1,150,000 in 2023 monies). In 1883 a new company called the Abercorris Slate and Slab Company Limited was established, with J.W. Orchard as one of its directors. This company was short-lived as it failed three years later in 1886 and was wound up in February 1887.
Layout of the quarry as show on a 1900 O/S map of the area:
A reconstituted Abercorris Slate & Slab Quarry Company began in June 1890, again led by J.W. Orchard. With 40 men in the quarry’s employ, this attempt also proved to be a failure as the company was liquidated in November 1891. In 1893, W. John Lewis and Arthur T. Carr restarted the quarry under the name the Abercorris Slate Quarry Company. Success was limited as the quarry struggled on to the turn of the century. In 1909, the owners reached agreement with the owners of Ratgoed and Cymerau quarries to combine output and sell through a single agent. In 1910 the quarry produced 310 tons of finished slate and then closed in 1914 at the start of World War I. The quarry reopened in 1920 under the ownership of T.O. Williams and C. Humphries and lasted until 1928 when operations were once more wound up. In the mid-1930s small scale working went on and was also sporadically worked by the owners of Braichgoch quarry in the early 1950s. After that, the quarry was abandoned for good.
2. The Explore
My final report from my recent holiday in mid-Wales. Had this place on my radar after the excellent report from @The Kwan right back in 2013 (see HERE) Bizarrely, there’s been no reports since. Hence, I was determined to get up there for myself. So off I set one crisp January morning. The Kwan makes reference to the steep climb. And boy, he wasn’t joking. Initially you head up a track-cum-footpath past Little Italy. Then when you hit the mine buildings, you turn right and head straight up the incline. On the first incline, the first stop off all I found was a collapsed adit so it was back on second incline. At the top of the first incline, all I found were bit open pits, so it was then up the second incline. Fortunately, after a bit of hunting around, I recognised the building at the mouth of the adit from The Kwan’s report and I got my waders on and went in. It turned out to be well worth the effort and the toll getting back down took on my poor old knees! Having got through the flooded main adit, it dries out and we’re into the good stuff. Apparently, there is a continuation at the back of the cavern with the lake in and another adit further up so a revisit is now required!
3. The Pictures
*** Bonus Pictures *** Little Italy
Knew this was on the way up. @Bertie Bollockbrains reported on here back in August 2021 (report HERE)
Mark Bourne, a former caravan-site owner, and his wife Muriel spent a quarter of a century creating “Little Italy” next to their 19th Century cottage. They built a collection of replica miniature Italian architectural highlights in memory of a lifetime of Italian holidays in his own back garden over decades. Buildings featured included the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a 6ft model of Venice's Rialto Bridge, Venice's sea fortress and Florence's Duomo. In total, there are more than 30 replicas, all built to different scales. Bourne died in 2009, and the site became overgrown.
On to the mine.
This small building was in the best nick:
These are miner’s cottages, and called Craig-y-fachddu:
And the ascend begins!
Found this on the incline:
Popped off the incline to the first level and found this very much collapsed adit:
Up to the top at last:
Looking into the winding house:
Some views!
This looks promising:
Looks like a wet one!
And here’s what we are after:
Main drive to the left, cavernous drop to the right:
Water ingress here:
And past this partial collapse:
Abercorris slate quarry is located near the village Corris Uchaf, 5 miles north of Machynlleth, in Gwynedd, Wales. Its story is one of a mid-Wales slate quarry that struggled to remain a viable proposition over a century of operations. The slate quarry was worked between the mid-1840s up until the early 1950s. The quarry consisted of two hillside workings which developed into pits (up to 1,000 feet in altitude) accessed by tunnels. Material was then lowered by incline to a mill approximately 600 ft below. The first mill was water-powered, while a later and larger one was driven by oil engine. Latterly, it was also worked underground. It was connected to the Corris Railway via the Upper Corris Tramway, carrying its output to the Cambrian Railways at Machynlleth for distribution.
Records from 1841 list one slate miner boarding at Craig-y-Fachddu Farm, while the 1851 census shows quarry agent John Parry living in the farmhouse. Ten years later in 1861, two quarrymen's cottage are listed as part of the Abercorris quarry complex. The land was then leased to Thomas Green of London in 1863. Off the back of the following slate boom, in 1874 the Cwmodyn Slate & Slab Quarry Company was formed.
This was short lived and as demand slumped, the company was sold at auction in 1878. New owner, J.W. Orchard recommenced operations in 1880. In 1882 the quarry produced over 4,000 tons of finished slate, worth £11,600 (or £1,150,000 in 2023 monies). In 1883 a new company called the Abercorris Slate and Slab Company Limited was established, with J.W. Orchard as one of its directors. This company was short-lived as it failed three years later in 1886 and was wound up in February 1887.
Layout of the quarry as show on a 1900 O/S map of the area:
A reconstituted Abercorris Slate & Slab Quarry Company began in June 1890, again led by J.W. Orchard. With 40 men in the quarry’s employ, this attempt also proved to be a failure as the company was liquidated in November 1891. In 1893, W. John Lewis and Arthur T. Carr restarted the quarry under the name the Abercorris Slate Quarry Company. Success was limited as the quarry struggled on to the turn of the century. In 1909, the owners reached agreement with the owners of Ratgoed and Cymerau quarries to combine output and sell through a single agent. In 1910 the quarry produced 310 tons of finished slate and then closed in 1914 at the start of World War I. The quarry reopened in 1920 under the ownership of T.O. Williams and C. Humphries and lasted until 1928 when operations were once more wound up. In the mid-1930s small scale working went on and was also sporadically worked by the owners of Braichgoch quarry in the early 1950s. After that, the quarry was abandoned for good.
2. The Explore
My final report from my recent holiday in mid-Wales. Had this place on my radar after the excellent report from @The Kwan right back in 2013 (see HERE) Bizarrely, there’s been no reports since. Hence, I was determined to get up there for myself. So off I set one crisp January morning. The Kwan makes reference to the steep climb. And boy, he wasn’t joking. Initially you head up a track-cum-footpath past Little Italy. Then when you hit the mine buildings, you turn right and head straight up the incline. On the first incline, the first stop off all I found was a collapsed adit so it was back on second incline. At the top of the first incline, all I found were bit open pits, so it was then up the second incline. Fortunately, after a bit of hunting around, I recognised the building at the mouth of the adit from The Kwan’s report and I got my waders on and went in. It turned out to be well worth the effort and the toll getting back down took on my poor old knees! Having got through the flooded main adit, it dries out and we’re into the good stuff. Apparently, there is a continuation at the back of the cavern with the lake in and another adit further up so a revisit is now required!
3. The Pictures
*** Bonus Pictures *** Little Italy
Knew this was on the way up. @Bertie Bollockbrains reported on here back in August 2021 (report HERE)
Mark Bourne, a former caravan-site owner, and his wife Muriel spent a quarter of a century creating “Little Italy” next to their 19th Century cottage. They built a collection of replica miniature Italian architectural highlights in memory of a lifetime of Italian holidays in his own back garden over decades. Buildings featured included the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a 6ft model of Venice's Rialto Bridge, Venice's sea fortress and Florence's Duomo. In total, there are more than 30 replicas, all built to different scales. Bourne died in 2009, and the site became overgrown.
On to the mine.
This small building was in the best nick:
These are miner’s cottages, and called Craig-y-fachddu:
And the ascend begins!
Found this on the incline:
Popped off the incline to the first level and found this very much collapsed adit:
Up to the top at last:
Looking into the winding house:
Some views!
This looks promising:
Looks like a wet one!
And here’s what we are after:
Main drive to the left, cavernous drop to the right:
Water ingress here:
And past this partial collapse:
Last edited:
