This was a bit of an afterthought - a late afternoon visit after some tourism around the dams of the Elan valley.
Although not reported on here it’s a well-know place with plenty of information and pictures of the surface remains to be found online.
History. A lead and zinc mine started 1796, finished by 1877, operating from two adits/levels and two shafts.
Enough ore was found to warrant constructing pumping and processing plant, the remains of which can still be seen.
Archeologists may call these ‘well preserved’ but in reality they’re just a few walls and some scrap.
Everything was water-powered of course - there’s a nice animation of how the site may have operated here:
I was mainly interested in seeing how much of the underground was accessible.
It’s an easy walk up from the Garreg Ddu reservoir.
Mine area on the left, empty houses on the right.
Remains of the ore crusher, driven by a water wheel (gone).
The metal thing is half of the clutch mechanism - there’s a more complete example of an ore crusher at the end of a post on the Glendalough lead mines in Wicklow.
Looks like an underground collapse.
Remains of the pumping equipment, also driven by a water wheel (gone).
This one is slightly unusual in that some of the connecting rods and the wooden pump rod are still there.
The pump rod is sticking out of a shaft that appears to be blocked about 10 - 15 yards down.
The shorter of the two levels judging by the size of the waste tip - almost completely blocked.
The other level wiggles in for a bit with a short offshoot - the rock is mainly fairly soft shaley stuff, on the way to becoming slate.
A chunk of characteristically heavy waste ore containing some glittery black bits.
The end and back out.
View back down the valley towards the reservoir.
Although not reported on here it’s a well-know place with plenty of information and pictures of the surface remains to be found online.
History. A lead and zinc mine started 1796, finished by 1877, operating from two adits/levels and two shafts.
Enough ore was found to warrant constructing pumping and processing plant, the remains of which can still be seen.
Archeologists may call these ‘well preserved’ but in reality they’re just a few walls and some scrap.
Everything was water-powered of course - there’s a nice animation of how the site may have operated here:
I was mainly interested in seeing how much of the underground was accessible.
It’s an easy walk up from the Garreg Ddu reservoir.
Mine area on the left, empty houses on the right.
Remains of the ore crusher, driven by a water wheel (gone).
The metal thing is half of the clutch mechanism - there’s a more complete example of an ore crusher at the end of a post on the Glendalough lead mines in Wicklow.
Looks like an underground collapse.
Remains of the pumping equipment, also driven by a water wheel (gone).
This one is slightly unusual in that some of the connecting rods and the wooden pump rod are still there.
The pump rod is sticking out of a shaft that appears to be blocked about 10 - 15 yards down.
The shorter of the two levels judging by the size of the waste tip - almost completely blocked.
The other level wiggles in for a bit with a short offshoot - the rock is mainly fairly soft shaley stuff, on the way to becoming slate.
A chunk of characteristically heavy waste ore containing some glittery black bits.
The end and back out.
View back down the valley towards the reservoir.
