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Report - - Parc Mine, North Wales (May 19) | Mines and Quarries | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Parc Mine, North Wales (May 19)

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Kidney

Weirdy Beardy
28DL Full Member
Brief History
Parc was the largest, most successful and last mine to close in the Gwydyr Forest. Official records date production from the mine to around 1860-ish (exact date varies by source) as the Gwydyr Park Consols by the D’Ersby and Gwydyr Company formed from an amalgamation of older workings . The mine was operated on and off before finally finishing up in 1958. It for experiments into automated milling during 1962-3 before finally closing for good.
Rock was extracted and then crushed on site and the lead and zinc ore extracted before being sent away for processing. Very little of the surface workings exist. The site was revegetated in the 1970's to reduce environmental impacts due to erosion of the spoil heaps allowing lead and zinc to leach into the nearby stream, enter the Afon Conwy then polluting agricultural land downstream on the floodplain. The ore vein was followed and extracted along roughly a 40 degree angle in a process known as "stoping". The void was then propped with wood to prevent loose rock from falling; this is known as "Stulling". Because the ore vein was followed all the way down, false floors were added to provide the tramways for the carts to extract the ore.
Parc was used in a research project investigating the elastic behaviour of the Earth’s structure. A monitoring station was set up 41m below the ground. Due to deformations of the cavity of the tunnel itself accurate readings could not be made and the project here was abandoned.

The explore
We entered at, i think, Adit 3/kneebone cutting. The wooden props with the consistency of a soft cheese above our heads pretty much set the mood for the explore upon entering. Unfortunately due to the lack of kit we could only explore this one level partially. We got along the tramway as far as we could, with the rockfalls and flooding becoming more and more frequent the deeper into the level we got. The final decider to turn back sharpish was the slight eggy smell coming from the disturbed wood in the water....no one likes a lungful of hydrogen sulfide !
This mine is sketchy to say the least and not recommended for anyone without a few EXP points. The false floors have given way in places, especially the tramway junction near the entrance. The stulls have rotted in many places as well as the spoil chutes. We decided not to venture down the ladders to the lower floors as we did not have SRT gear, were fairly confident that the ladders were stable but were unsure about the landing platforms. No photo is worth your life. Anyway onto the pics, hope you enjoy!!!

Pics

Had a right mare uploading these so hopefully they aren't three pixels wide!

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HughieD

28DL Regular User
Regular User
That's some place and you really do it justice with those pictures in a no-light situation.
 

alex17595

Down t'pit
Regular User
I love a good trip to Parc. Did you get to the 'great esscape' dig on level 2?

Also the I think the bottom ladder is missing on the manway
 

Kidney

Weirdy Beardy
28DL Full Member
That's some place and you really do it justice with those pictures in a no-light situation.
Cheers dude, either get it right or totally mess up. Theres no happy medium

I love a good trip to Parc. Did you get to the 'great esscape' dig on level 2?

Also the I think the bottom ladder is missing on the manway

Sadly not, only got round what we could on level 3. As always we were trying to fit as much as we could in a 4 day trip. Definitely want to return a little better equipped.
 

alex17595

Down t'pit
Regular User
Sadly not, only got round what we could on level 3. As always we were trying to fit as much as we could in a 4 day trip. Definitely want to return a little better equipped.


The dig is at the end of level 2. Go in the entrance, turn right at the T junction with the hole and follow it all the way along. There is a crawl through it then some pumping equipment.

Most of the pictures I recognise on level 2.
 

Kidney

Weirdy Beardy
28DL Full Member
The dig is at the end of level 2. Go in the entrance, turn right at the T junction with the hole and follow it all the way along. There is a crawl through it then some pumping equipment.

Most of the pictures I recognise on level 2.

I trust you on that one and think now this was level 2. We were winging this one like noobs. Bugger, didnt get that far along the tramway. The falls were getting more frequent then the water and mud got too deep as we were just in boots (stupidly left the wellies in the car!). Was going to plod on further but got a whiff of something eggy when disturbing Wood in water so decided to head back.

Would definitely like a return. Noticed also the grille on the floor with a bolt through it. Is this drainage or is it access to the floor below?
 

alex17595

Down t'pit
Regular User
I trust you on that one and think now this was level 2. We were winging this one like noobs. Bugger, didnt get that far along the tramway. The falls were getting more frequent then the water and mud got too deep as we were just in boots (stupidly left the wellies in the car!). Was going to plod on further but got a whiff of something eggy when disturbing Wood in water so decided to head back.

Would definitely like a return. Noticed also the grille on the floor with a bolt through it. Is this drainage or is it access to the floor below?

If you only went in this level, yes it's level 2. Kneebones cutting is bigger. Following the road from Hafna you continue past parc turn left at the end and you come to the cutting. the photo below shows the cutting (not my photo) but I believe the main way is down an ore chute from level 2.

parc-mine-20120721-05-kneebones-cutting.jpg


You do need wellies after a bit as the mud has formed a dam in some areas so it doesn't drain. I haven't come across the smell you describe in Parc but just try not to destroy the wood then ;)

No idea where the shaft goes, I assume it's just for drainage and isn't marked on my map. I need to visit again, 3(?) time I have visited now - covered pretty much all of it on level 2 up to the dig where looking a pictures is the best bit.
 

Kidney

Weirdy Beardy
28DL Full Member
If you only went in this level, yes it's level 2. Kneebones cutting is bigger. Following the road from Hafna you continue past parc turn left at the end and you come to the cutting. the photo below shows the cutting (not my photo) but I believe the main way is down an ore chute from level 2.

Confused now as we went in higher up to this one? The adit has a low ceiling so it's a bit of a crab walk then you arrive at the tramway junction where the false floor has collapsed.

Screenshot_20190603-225414_Chrome.jpg
 

tigger

mog
Regular User
Alex, have a gander at :
Bennett, John and Vernon, Robert W. (1991) Mines of The Gwydyr Forest Part 3 Parc Mine, Llanrwst and Adjacent Setts. Cuddington: Gwydyr Mines Publications ISBN: 0951479822

Kneebones cutting is a very clear cutting and not a shaft as the photo you posted shows. The image from Coflein is correct but doesn't do justice to the size of the stoped cutting.
 

alex17595

Down t'pit
Regular User
Alex, have a gander at :
Bennett, John and Vernon, Robert W. (1991) Mines of The Gwydyr Forest Part 3 Parc Mine, Llanrwst and Adjacent Setts. Cuddington: Gwydyr Mines Publications ISBN: 0951479822

Kneebones cutting is a very clear cutting and not a shaft as the photo you posted shows. The image from Coflein is correct but doesn't do justice to the size of the stoped cutting.


It looks like a shaft however it is accessed by the level 3 adit - the gated one that looks like a rail tunnel mentioned in the document above.

Here is a survey of level 3 from 1973.

Below is the entrance to level 3

image
 

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