I found this little gem whilst scouring the net looking for decent places to camp over the bank holiday weekend. Would have liked to have got some shots during the day but the weather took a turn for the worst to say the least!
History (nicked from http://www.anglesey-hidden-gem.com/porth-wen-brick-works.html#C2)
Reach back into the very belly fires of Victorian innovation and gigantic industrial growth that taught the world how it was done.
The Victorians were very much like the Romans in that whatever territory they found themselves they would scour the countryside for materials that would sustain their civilisation. It would have been obvious to any Victorian geologist that the North Anglesey coastline indicated an abundance of Quartzite.
But why bother with quartzite? Much of the wealth of the British Empire came from Steel Production; whether as a material or goods to sell to the rest of the World, or as a means for transportation: railways, trains and ships. Steel was vital.
The steel industry is based on heat; its generation and sustaining the metal furnaces at incredibly high temperatures. I believe that the bricks inside the older furnaces maintained temperature and protected the vessel itself. Specialised bricks were required for this role.
That’s where Porth Wen comes in: the manufacture of Silica Bricks. Quartzite is a siliceous rock rich in silica for making these bricks.
The challenge of transportation from the very isolated Anglesey coastline was a problem that had to be overcome.
There is more to see but as it is with night shots, I spent long enough just getting these ones right!!
Anyone interested should have a look at the other images found online during the day!!
History (nicked from http://www.anglesey-hidden-gem.com/porth-wen-brick-works.html#C2)
Reach back into the very belly fires of Victorian innovation and gigantic industrial growth that taught the world how it was done.
The Victorians were very much like the Romans in that whatever territory they found themselves they would scour the countryside for materials that would sustain their civilisation. It would have been obvious to any Victorian geologist that the North Anglesey coastline indicated an abundance of Quartzite.
But why bother with quartzite? Much of the wealth of the British Empire came from Steel Production; whether as a material or goods to sell to the rest of the World, or as a means for transportation: railways, trains and ships. Steel was vital.
The steel industry is based on heat; its generation and sustaining the metal furnaces at incredibly high temperatures. I believe that the bricks inside the older furnaces maintained temperature and protected the vessel itself. Specialised bricks were required for this role.
That’s where Porth Wen comes in: the manufacture of Silica Bricks. Quartzite is a siliceous rock rich in silica for making these bricks.
The challenge of transportation from the very isolated Anglesey coastline was a problem that had to be overcome.
There is more to see but as it is with night shots, I spent long enough just getting these ones right!!
Anyone interested should have a look at the other images found online during the day!!
