Something a bit different from all the Slate/Lead mines that I have been in. After a 3hr drive there is the usual problem of trying to find the mine, I missed the path and ended up walking straight up the incline. Using OS maps on my phone I ended up walking cross country on a steep hill. The thing was a sulphur mine is you smell it before you see it.
History
The first reference to Cae Coch is in 1607 by John Wynn that refers to a store of Brimstone which may be dug for a small charge. With the rise of alkali manufacturing after 1820 the mine became a lot more prosperous and was purchased by Thompson + Hill of Liverpool.
The first load of pyrites was ready by 1821, a mere 100 tons dug out by hand. For the next 10 years or so there was a steady 20 tons per month which was shipped directly to Liverpool.
In 1851 the mine was transferred to a new company and production was ramped up to over 1000 tons per year until 1856 where a collapse stopped work for a short period of time, for the next few years they could only work at half capacity. During the american civil war a good years production was 17,000 tons with up to 32 men.
By 1895 the mine had produced a total of 81,634 tons of pyrites.
In WW1 the mine was reopened to gather the materials used for ammunition, a crushing mill and aerial ropeway was also installed. From Jan - Dec 1918 15,951 tons were removed, just over half of the total output in the UK. The mine was opened for a few months in WW2 but due to lack of available labour and inconsistencies in the rock work was halted and the mine was abandoned.
More History: Here
There is some interesting bacteria in the some of the very acidic pools and some great colors. There is supposed to be blood red pools at the bottom but I didn't venture that far down.
History
The first reference to Cae Coch is in 1607 by John Wynn that refers to a store of Brimstone which may be dug for a small charge. With the rise of alkali manufacturing after 1820 the mine became a lot more prosperous and was purchased by Thompson + Hill of Liverpool.
The first load of pyrites was ready by 1821, a mere 100 tons dug out by hand. For the next 10 years or so there was a steady 20 tons per month which was shipped directly to Liverpool.
In 1851 the mine was transferred to a new company and production was ramped up to over 1000 tons per year until 1856 where a collapse stopped work for a short period of time, for the next few years they could only work at half capacity. During the american civil war a good years production was 17,000 tons with up to 32 men.
By 1895 the mine had produced a total of 81,634 tons of pyrites.
In WW1 the mine was reopened to gather the materials used for ammunition, a crushing mill and aerial ropeway was also installed. From Jan - Dec 1918 15,951 tons were removed, just over half of the total output in the UK. The mine was opened for a few months in WW2 but due to lack of available labour and inconsistencies in the rock work was halted and the mine was abandoned.
More History: Here
There is some interesting bacteria in the some of the very acidic pools and some great colors. There is supposed to be blood red pools at the bottom but I didn't venture that far down.
