Blaenau quarries· Page 2 · AditNow Community

Barney
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

18 years ago

#21

"simonrl" wrote:

Llechwedd and Votty/Bowydd
Maenoffern and Votty/Bowydd

Are these rumours or confirmed????

simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration

18 years ago

#22

"Barney" wrote:

"simonrl" wrote:

Llechwedd and Votty/Bowydd
Maenoffern and Votty/Bowydd

Are these rumours or confirmed????

There's definitely a link from Cookes level of Maenofferen to Votty. The Llechwedd link I understand is true.

Although may of course be underwater. "The Miles" can probably confirm...

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

merddinemrys
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#23

Nyth y Cigfran and Oakeley

Also don't forget that Oakeley wasn't always one quarry and even when it all came under one company, the names of the smaller ventures were often used - Rhiwbryfdir, Holland's and Gloddfa Ganol.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#24

i've never quite understood the hole Gloffa Gonol thing. I presume its part of Oakley.
p.s. - what's the name of that mine you pass just above oakley, above the lake, on the Betws-y-coed road?

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

merddinemrys
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#25

Although the land was always owned by Oakeley it started as a few small quarries which grew until the merged into one undertaking. The tip above the lake on the Crimea Pass is spoil from the ventilation shaft dug for the Ffestiniog L&NW Railway Tunnel.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#26

What is older, Cwmorthin or Oakley?

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#27

Oakeley is older.

Glodda Ganol is Welsh for Middle Quarry. It was Lord Palmerstons quarry. Above it was Hollands quarry, below it was the Welsh Slate Companies. Eventually, the land owner (Mr Oakeley) ended up working all three himself, and knocked them all into one. Well, sort of. For instance, there is very little connecting upper and middle quarry except the odd roofing shaft.

Mr Oakeley also ended up with Nyth y Cigfran quarry and Cwmorthin Quarry, and knocked them through as well. What a meglomaniac - but he did end up with the biggest slate mine in the world as a result.

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#28

Also, in regards the depth/floor heights, yes Oakeley is the deepest, pretty sure about that. Floor R is 131 feet above sea level, and Floor 16 is 1650 feet above sea level, making a total height of continuous workings of 1519 feet.

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#29

Gosh, I'm on fire this evening.

Have you ever noticed the different 'feel' between H and G floors in Oakeley? Well H and below was Lower Quarry. G didn't exist whilst they were seperate ventures, as Middle Quarry started on floor 1. Between them was solid rock until Oakeley took over and filled the space with chambers.

merddinemrys
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#30

Never knew that. Where are you getting this info from? Have you been up to Nyth y Cigfran Miles?

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#31

I have been to Nyth y Cigfran, and what a fine quarry it is too, though not very big. If you look at this picture of a chamber within it:

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/view_picture.asp?id=3415

...you'll see a strange second-floor height about 5' off the real floor. This was because the higher floor was the real Nyth y Cigfran floor, and the lower floor level was Oakeley Floor 11. Oakeley shaved the Nyth y Cigfran floor down so it was all the same height.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#32

Very interesting!
An I right in thinking that the slate was very fractured & faulted in the areas you are describing?
p.s. - why does Llechwedd keep appearing as updated on mine-explorer, when it isn't. I think allan (relation) was the last to add anything?

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#33

"LAP" wrote:
Very interesting!
An I right in thinking that the slate was very fractured & faulted in the areas you are describing?
p.s. - why does Llechwedd keep appearing as updated on mine-explorer, when it isn't. I think allan (relation) was the last to add anything?

Well, I think the slate can't have been too bad on the upper floors because Hollands (Upper Quarry) was massive, some 10 floors in several veins making it a whopper of a mine in itself. Some of the chambers are reputed to have been cut well over 100ft from wall to wall, making them some of the widest in the industry.

My summer project is to get in for a proper look around. There isn't much you can do in there without bolting, a day checking all the adits revealed little but short levels leading to collapses.

In regards the Llechwedd page, it's because there are power-user documents going up, which causes the mine to go on the recently-updated list but the actual new uploads can't be publically seen. Odd really, I should change it.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#34

Thanks!
I guess D floor is the dodgy one.
Just out of interest, about what % of power-user doct has your site got?

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

Miles
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#35

Errr, I think there are about 1000 PU documents stored on the website, and about 6500 public/members-only documents.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#36

a'lot!
Blaenau was left out of the national park for quarrying.
Now Alfred McAlpine Ffestiniog & Llechwedd & Manod are still working. Are any others likely to be developed?

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

Barney
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

18 years ago

#37

Rhosydd, as previously mentioned and sometime ago i heard that there was interest in Drum quarry, away to the east.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#38

cool, doubt rhoysdd will ever be developed. It could be possible to work mines undergrond within the national park, so long as there was little tipping.

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai

merddinemrys
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#39

Just checked on the OS map and it would appear that Rhosydd is just outside the national park.

LAP
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

18 years ago

#40

Ha, but if they were not money obsessed in getting the best profit, then they could actually work rhoysdd using more traditional methods, but this isn't really a mova for McAlpines.

Kein geneis kanaf - Cain gnais canaf
Byt vndyd mwyhaf - byth onddyth moyav
Lliaws a bwyllaf - Líows o boylav
Ac a bryderaf - ac o boryddarav
Kyfarchaf y veird byt - covarcav yr vairth
Pryt nam dyweid - poryth na'm dowaith
Py gynheil y byt - Pa gonail y byth
Na syrch yn eissywyt - na soroc yn eishoyth
Neur byt bei syrchei - nour byth bai sorochai