Hello all,
I have a bit of an unusual opportunity I've been presented with, it's to explore a "potentially large" underground section of an old slate quarry near Trawsfynydd, North Wales.
I've been underground a fair bit, but the idea of an unexplored mine system is quite daunting for someone like me without enough experience or equipment to do it solo (I wouldn't want to do it solo anyway to be honest!!).
The quarry is Braich Ddu, which I've found references to from as early as the 1830s. When I've visited the site I've been shown the adit, but no one in living memory has been down there.
I cant find much about the history online but I have found some interesting bits that I'd love to find evidence of on site. The most prominent is about the tunnelling machines that were apparently purchased by the quarry in 1863 built by the same man who built the tunnelling machine that made the "binoculars" in Corris. Here's the quote from a local paper "The first tunnelling machine was designed by Scottish engineer George Hunter, whose father James had developed industrial stone planing machines in Arbroath. Their industrial cutters were widely adopted by the slate industry – though James was to lose a leg in the process. One was ordered by the Braich Ddu quarry near Trawsfynydd in 1863. Boasting four discs, each 4ft in diameter, it was described as “the largest machine of the kind yet made”."
The quarry was owned by "Liverpool and Birkenhead Slate and Slab Co Limited" Although as of 1883 they appeared to be in liquidation according to the "Material Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the Year 1882". so it would have only been worked for 20 years at most. The machines would likely have been assembled underground as there aren't (weren't) any signs on the surface of the tunnelling machines. This leads me and the quarrymen who work there to believe that they must have installed the machinery in situ underground.
Below is a OS map from 1899/1901 showing the quarry as disused. I've not found any reference to it being quarried since it fell into liquidation until it's current owners took over in the 1970s/1980s.
The quarry is owned by a local firm now and is an active quarry, but I've been asked if I wanted to explore the adit, at my own risk as long as we don't disturb their work too much, both for the adventure, but also to know how to underground workings lie, as they are now an open pit quarry and don't want a 25 ton excavator falling into a chamber.
If anyone wants to give it a go, please give me a shout. Failing to get underground here, the Prince Edward gold mine (@HughieD's report here for the surface and cunningcorgi's report here for the underfround bits) is about a mile or so away so that could be the consolation failing this, or alternatively, I'd be happy to show some of the lesser known slate mines around Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Thanks for reading and I hope it's of interest to some of you at least.
I have a bit of an unusual opportunity I've been presented with, it's to explore a "potentially large" underground section of an old slate quarry near Trawsfynydd, North Wales.
I've been underground a fair bit, but the idea of an unexplored mine system is quite daunting for someone like me without enough experience or equipment to do it solo (I wouldn't want to do it solo anyway to be honest!!).
The quarry is Braich Ddu, which I've found references to from as early as the 1830s. When I've visited the site I've been shown the adit, but no one in living memory has been down there.
I cant find much about the history online but I have found some interesting bits that I'd love to find evidence of on site. The most prominent is about the tunnelling machines that were apparently purchased by the quarry in 1863 built by the same man who built the tunnelling machine that made the "binoculars" in Corris. Here's the quote from a local paper "The first tunnelling machine was designed by Scottish engineer George Hunter, whose father James had developed industrial stone planing machines in Arbroath. Their industrial cutters were widely adopted by the slate industry – though James was to lose a leg in the process. One was ordered by the Braich Ddu quarry near Trawsfynydd in 1863. Boasting four discs, each 4ft in diameter, it was described as “the largest machine of the kind yet made”."
The quarry was owned by "Liverpool and Birkenhead Slate and Slab Co Limited" Although as of 1883 they appeared to be in liquidation according to the "Material Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the Year 1882". so it would have only been worked for 20 years at most. The machines would likely have been assembled underground as there aren't (weren't) any signs on the surface of the tunnelling machines. This leads me and the quarrymen who work there to believe that they must have installed the machinery in situ underground.
Below is a OS map from 1899/1901 showing the quarry as disused. I've not found any reference to it being quarried since it fell into liquidation until it's current owners took over in the 1970s/1980s.
The quarry is owned by a local firm now and is an active quarry, but I've been asked if I wanted to explore the adit, at my own risk as long as we don't disturb their work too much, both for the adventure, but also to know how to underground workings lie, as they are now an open pit quarry and don't want a 25 ton excavator falling into a chamber.
If anyone wants to give it a go, please give me a shout. Failing to get underground here, the Prince Edward gold mine (@HughieD's report here for the surface and cunningcorgi's report here for the underfround bits) is about a mile or so away so that could be the consolation failing this, or alternatively, I'd be happy to show some of the lesser known slate mines around Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Thanks for reading and I hope it's of interest to some of you at least.
