1. The History
Located in the Nantlle Valley in North Wales, quarrying at Dorothea commenced in 1929 under the ownership of William Turner and John Morgan. From 1853 onwards the quarry was owned by the Williams family up until its closure in 1970. The quarry was one of the first users of the 3 ft 6 in Nantlle Railway in 1828 and later developed an extensive internal tramway system of 2ft gauge.
By 1848 it had become the dominant quarry in the area, employing 200 men and producing 5,000 tons of finished slate per annum from its six pits (the deepest over 100m). With slate veins running vertically it allowed the quarrying of deep pits taking them below the water table. Hence, they were subject to flooding and required constant pumping out to keep them dry. Production peaked in 1872 at over 17,000 tons. Due to the quarry flooding, a Cornish beam engine was installed in 1904 to pump the pits. The engine was able to pump 10 gallons of water per second from a depth of over 500 feet. It stayed in use until 1951 when it was replaced with 60-HP electric pumps, but remains in situ in its Grade I listed engine house
In the 1930s over 350 men were employed at Dorothea however production dropped significantly after the start of World War II. The quarry struggled on post-war for three decades before closing in 1969.
Couple of archive picture of the engine house:
After its closure, the quarrying flooded and become a popular spot for scuba diving. The quarry is considered to be dangerous, so swimming is banned. Its dangers have been born out by the 25 divers that lost their lives here up to 2014.It remains a popular dive site. Here’s a Youtube video of one group’s dives:
2. The Explore
Nice easy one this. Parked up due west of the quarry, followed the footpath then when I hit the lake walked round it in a clockwise direction. It’s a really beautiful spot for a wander for a couple of hours. Sadly, the engine house was sealed tight as a tin of sardines but the boilers at the back were really photogenic.
Still managed to miss a few things including the former town hall with its pointy gables and one of the railway tunnels. See @theloneranger and his excellent report to fill in these two gaps and for a very extensive history of the place HERE
3. The Pictures
Starting point of the circular walk:
In we go:
These tiles were a bit of a surprise:
Inside the shell of what must have been some sort of admin building:
Loving the arches:
Yet another slate house:
And a row of them:
Inside the farmhouse is just a shell:
In the upper reaches of the quarry:
Maybe not too close to that edge:
An old chimney reaches for the sky:
More old house shells:
Not too close to the edge:
This little tunnel was impressive:
Base of one of the pyramids:
More very old buildings that are now just a shell:
Located in the Nantlle Valley in North Wales, quarrying at Dorothea commenced in 1929 under the ownership of William Turner and John Morgan. From 1853 onwards the quarry was owned by the Williams family up until its closure in 1970. The quarry was one of the first users of the 3 ft 6 in Nantlle Railway in 1828 and later developed an extensive internal tramway system of 2ft gauge.
By 1848 it had become the dominant quarry in the area, employing 200 men and producing 5,000 tons of finished slate per annum from its six pits (the deepest over 100m). With slate veins running vertically it allowed the quarrying of deep pits taking them below the water table. Hence, they were subject to flooding and required constant pumping out to keep them dry. Production peaked in 1872 at over 17,000 tons. Due to the quarry flooding, a Cornish beam engine was installed in 1904 to pump the pits. The engine was able to pump 10 gallons of water per second from a depth of over 500 feet. It stayed in use until 1951 when it was replaced with 60-HP electric pumps, but remains in situ in its Grade I listed engine house
In the 1930s over 350 men were employed at Dorothea however production dropped significantly after the start of World War II. The quarry struggled on post-war for three decades before closing in 1969.
Couple of archive picture of the engine house:
After its closure, the quarrying flooded and become a popular spot for scuba diving. The quarry is considered to be dangerous, so swimming is banned. Its dangers have been born out by the 25 divers that lost their lives here up to 2014.It remains a popular dive site. Here’s a Youtube video of one group’s dives:
2. The Explore
Nice easy one this. Parked up due west of the quarry, followed the footpath then when I hit the lake walked round it in a clockwise direction. It’s a really beautiful spot for a wander for a couple of hours. Sadly, the engine house was sealed tight as a tin of sardines but the boilers at the back were really photogenic.
Still managed to miss a few things including the former town hall with its pointy gables and one of the railway tunnels. See @theloneranger and his excellent report to fill in these two gaps and for a very extensive history of the place HERE
3. The Pictures
Starting point of the circular walk:
In we go:
These tiles were a bit of a surprise:
Inside the shell of what must have been some sort of admin building:
Loving the arches:
Yet another slate house:
And a row of them:
Inside the farmhouse is just a shell:
In the upper reaches of the quarry:
Maybe not too close to that edge:
An old chimney reaches for the sky:
More old house shells:
Not too close to the edge:
This little tunnel was impressive:
Base of one of the pyramids:
More very old buildings that are now just a shell:
