Report - Rural Water Turbines 2 (Wales, Feb, 2023)

[urbanchemist]

I recently spent a day travelling across Wales looking for old water turbines.

Water-powered turbines coupled to generators were once used in remote areas before the arrival of mains electricity.
With the resurgence of interest in renewable energy they’re now becoming popular again as ‘micro-hydro’ setups.

I have a lot of possibilities pinned most of which I never get round to visiting, usually distracted by something more explorable like a mine.
However this time I ignored all the interesting holes and just did turbines, starting early in the morning near the Dee Estuary and ending up in the evening over by the Mawddach Estuary.

Of the 10 sites listed below, only 4 turned out to have significant turbine remains.
Nevertheless I’ve included everything here since there are few if any pictures available for these sites.

All photos are phone, with locations in the order in which they were visited.



1. Wigfair Hall, St Asaph.
Appearing as a ‘turbine house’ on maps between 1898 and 1910, it seems to have been built on an existing watermill leat, supplying electricity for lighting to the Hall.
The actual hut was locked, but the turbine was still underneath - the hole in the floor above where the shaft went up has been patched over.
I don’t recognise the make of turbine.

2. Pont-Ystrad Woolen Mill, Denbigh.
This mill is just down the road from ‘Denbigh Mental’ and is said to have supplied the asylum with electricity after its milling days were over.
Not much left of the place.

The water came from a nearby river across the fields and pooled behind here…

…before travelling along a concrete trough and down through the turbine.

Governor but no electrics - the only reason the turbine is still there is because it’s practically built into the wall.

The water exited down here…

…and went back to the river via the channel on bottom left (the ground between here and the mill has either been raised, or there’s a blocked culvert under there).

3. Up a valley near Berwyn.
Not shown on maps but this turbine house is said to have supplied a nearby sawmill with electricity.
Unfortunately no turbine, just the remains of an early 1900s-vintage dynamo.

Checking out the sawmill, it looked disused but was also secure and part of an active farm.
Brick crusher outside, powered from inside the mill.

There’s some interesting stuff visible through a window, but probably best to ask permission if you want a closer look at this one.

continued

 

[urbanchemist]

4. Rhug Estate, Corwen.
I knew there was a modern turbine here, powering a heat pump extracting heat from the same lake that powers the turbine.
I had a look anyway on the basis that sometimes the old turbine just gets left.

Nothing here though except some rusty bits which could be water-related.

Looking down at the new turbine you can just see the control mechanism for the guide vanes under the water.

5. Above Llanmawddwy in the Dyfi valley.
Not marked on maps, this turned out to have a fairly recent Pelton (a Gilkes) supplying electricity to a nearby house with a few bits scattered around which might be parts of the old one.

6. Aberangell Sawmill.
Originally a corn mill this became a sawmill with a turbine on the original leat generating electricity for machinery and the local village.
No turbine here, just a decomposing mill.

The turbine would have been in the gap between the inlet pipe with the big valve and the outlet tube in the floor.

7. Helygog Falls, near Brithdir.
A planning application mentioned an old (1931) hydro scheme which used to provide electricity to Helygog House and greenhouse.
The most entertaining aspect of this one was getting to it.
Weir, with sluice and leat going round the hill behind.

Looking back up from below the first waterfall.

Interesting ladder going down beside the second waterfall, and looking back up, penstock (inlet pipe) on the left.

Nothing here but the base, some electrical scrap and a collapsed hut.

There’s another section of penstock from the initial leat heading further down the gorge but it seems this was never completed.





8. Afon Celynog, near Brithdir.
I’d noticed another old take-off on the way to the previous site.

However following the penstock just led down to an empty shed with a base and the remains of an electrical panel.

There are actually two modern hydro plants on this stream, one humming away immediately opposite this shed.





9. Ganllwyd Valley, Dolgellau.
Although not marked on maps a planning application suggested that a turbine beside the Afon Mawddach may have been upgraded.
Indeed there was a locked hut, probably continuing the new kit, with the old Pelton dumped outside.
The twin nozzles were for the twin wheels.

10. Bron-Lletty-Ifan, Arthog.
I’d walked down past another modern hydro plant coming back from a mine last year.
Looking it up, there’s mention of a previous turbine so I went to find it even though it was getting dark.
Water control.

The hut seems to have gone, but both turbine (another Gilkes Pelton) and dynamo were still there.
Another dinky setup, and fairly complete.

Overall a bit of a mixed and rather empty bag from this trip.
There are undoubtedly many more of these to find, particularly in Wales, the main difficulty being tracking them down.

 

[tigger]

Another great collection.
The Pelton at Llanmawddwy looks likely to be a refurb rather than 'fairly new'. Close to 100 years old.

I'm sure you'd have mentioned it but on the older double pelton wheels you show here (and on the earlier thread) where there ANY markings such as numbers or initials?

 

[urbanchemist]

Another great collection.
The Pelton at Llanmawddwy looks likely to be a refurb rather than 'fairly new'. Close to 100 years old.

I'm sure you'd have mentioned it but on the older double pelton wheels you show here (and on the earlier thread) where there ANY markings such as numbers or initials?

Nothing on the peltons that I noticed, but I didn't look very hard.

Makes sense that the one at Llanmawddwy has been refurbished although I haven't yet found any pictures of small 1920/30s Gilkes which look similar.

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Great collection there. Really liked number two and the little building in number three is lovely. Surprised more people are not interested in this sort of thing.

 

[dansgas1000]

Very interesting, I like those. Really good finds! Some of them are in beautiful settings as well.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Fab ensemble again. Loving the detailed shots. What a lot of research to find all these.

 

[HughieD]

Niche, but my kinda niche. Can't beat a good pump!

 

[urbanchemist]

Niche, but my kinda niche. Can't beat a good pump!

Not pumps old boy, turbines, although reaction-type turbines run in reverse are essentially centrifugal pumps.
Your homework for tonight Pump as turbine - Wikipedia

 

[HughieD]

Not pumps old boy, turbines, although reaction-type turbines run in reverse are essentially centrifugal pumps.
Your homework for tonight Pump as turbine - Wikipedia

In my mitigation, it's been a hard week

 

[Terminal Decline]

I really like smaller sites such as these, it can be very rewarding sniffing out and visiting places which are such an unknown. Good stuff as always discovering and recording these turbines.

 

[tcp]

4. Rhug Estate, Corwen.
I knew there was a modern turbine here, powering a heat pump extracting heat from the same lake that powers the turbine.
I had a look anyway on the basis that sometimes the old turbine just gets left.

Nothing here though except some rusty bits which could be water-related.

Looking down at the new turbine you can just see the control mechanism for the guide vanes under the water.

5. Above Llanmawddwy in the Dyfi valley.
Not marked on maps, this turned out to have a fairly recent Pelton (a Gilkes) supplying electricity to a nearby house with a few bits scattered around which might be parts of the old one.

6. Aberangell Sawmill.
Originally a corn mill this became a sawmill with a turbine on the original leat generating electricity for machinery and the local village.
No turbine here, just a decomposing mill.

The turbine would have been in the gap between the inlet pipe with the big valve and the outlet tube in the floor.

7. Helygog Falls, near Brithdir.
A planning application mentioned an old (1931) hydro scheme which used to provide electricity to Helygog House and greenhouse.
The most entertaining aspect of this one was getting to it.
Weir, with sluice and leat going round the hill behind.

Looking back up from below the first waterfall.

Interesting ladder going down beside the second waterfall, and looking back up, penstock (inlet pipe) on the left.

Nothing here but the base, some electrical scrap and a collapsed hut.

There’s another section of penstock from the initial leat heading further down the gorge but it seems this was never completed.





8. Afon Celynog, near Brithdir.
I’d noticed another old take-off on the way to the previous site.

However following the penstock just led down to an empty shed with a base and the remains of an electrical panel.

There are actually two modern hydro plants on this stream, one humming away immediately opposite this shed.





9. Ganllwyd Valley, Dolgellau.
Although not marked on maps a planning application suggested that a turbine beside the Afon Mawddach may have been upgraded.
Indeed there was a locked hut, probably continuing the new kit, with the old Pelton dumped outside.
The twin nozzles were for the twin wheels.

10. Bron-Lletty-Ifan, Arthog.
I’d walked down past another modern hydro plant coming back from a mine last year.
Looking it up, there’s mention of a previous turbine so I went to find it even though it was getting dark.
Water control.

The hut seems to have gone, but both turbine (another Gilkes Pelton) and dynamo were still there.
Another dinky setup, and fairly complete.

Overall a bit of a mixed and rather empty bag from this trip.
There are undoubtedly many more of these to find, particularly in Wales, the main difficulty being tracking them down.

The Ganllwyd pelton was almost certainly made by Edwards of Llanuchlyn who made and installed a large number of these double runner peltons. I believe that one of the novels was smaller to allow for use when water was short. The Edwards family still run the original plant in llanuchlyn that powered the village (now 240vac as opposed to the original 110vdc)
As for the Aberangell saw mill it had 2 francis turbines the main one a gilks and a 2nd much smaller one. Both with oil pressure goveners. It was plauged with leaves in the autumn and had a fascinating home made leaf scraper on its intake by the shed. It also supplied ectricity to Cemaes though there was a booster diesel generator there due to voltage drop. I did have pics of the turbines if I can find them.