Break-in at Dorothea Engine House· Page 3

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Cornish Pixie
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15 years ago

#41

Best let Martin answer this one as it was he who took the measurements.

I'm not so sure the clock has survived - I think it has been vandalised 😞

Den heb davaz a gollaz i dir

simonrail
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15 years ago

#42

It is so refreshing to hear one of the very few fellow hobby-horse riders stating the obvious - if it can't be protected then record it. Even if it can be protected - record it. Photograph it, video it and if possible measure and draw it.

Another one for the list of neglected structures is the Hathorn Davey pumping engine near the site of Marine Colliery south of Ebbw Vale. Although preserved, I spent a morning measuring and drawing it some years ago with the result I found that at least one linkage has been reassembled incorrectly. I was once told that you don't know a structure (building or engine) until you measure it up, and how true that is!

And another - the water balance winder at Cwmburgwm(?) north of Pontypool; dismantled and never rebuilt years ago 'in the interests of preservation.' Wonder if the scrapman got it?

Yes, I'll have it - what is it?

hymac580c
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15 years ago

#43

Another example is the 'steam crane' at Llanberis slate museum. It was bought at the auction when Dinorwig quarry closed in 1969 in order to save it. Unfortunately it is just rotting away in the rain.

Bellach dim ond swn y gwynt yn chwibian, lle bu gynt yr engan ar cynion yn tincian.

AndyC
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15 years ago

#44

And then there was the Fan House that ventilated Croesor.

Taken away for preservation. Long gone. 😞

Been injured while at work and are not to blame?

Get over it.

MossSphere
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15 years ago

#45

"simonrail" wrote:
... [snip] ....

And another - the water balance winder at Cwmburgwm(?) north of Pontypool; dismantled and never rebuilt years ago 'in the interests of preservation.' Wonder if the scrapman got it?

Is that the water balance that used to be at British? I remember seeing it many years ago after it had been "preserved" by dismantling it and scattering it around the hillside!!

I think parts have been rescued and it's the water balance thats been re-erected at Big Pit - although I might be wrong on this.

Moz.

Graigfawr
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15 years ago

#46

Before someone undertakes a great deal of work surveying and measuring the engine and its house, I seem to recall having seen very professional colour-washed engineering / technical drawings of it in the Departmnet of Industry of the National Museum of Wales. Seem to recall that they might have been done by a student at the Welsh School of Architecture in the 1960s/70s - the same collection certainly holds detailed drawings of the Glyn Pits engines and their houses by a student from WSoA in that period.

The Royal Commission on Ancient & Historic Monuments in Wales, based at Abersytwyth, may well hold photographs and possibly also drawings. It is the RCAHMW rather than Cadw that is tasked with recording; Cadw's responsibility is listing/scheduling for protection and - in a handful of instances - taking on sites as guardianship monuments.

Strangely Brown
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15 years ago

#47

Dorothea Engine House Clock.

The Clock mechanism was stolen some time ago so may exist intact somewhere, the face was apparently intact until a few years ago but the glass is now all broken, the cast iron frame for the clock face seemed to be OK but I didn't look hard.

Owain

Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.

jimc1390
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15 years ago

#48

what is the latest news at this place, been quite worried about this fine building for a while, would love to get there and see it one day as it seems a very important example of cornish engineering, had a petition ever been organised ? is there a sort of protection group yet or not would love to get involved with this place but obviously im a bit far away in cornwall

forever poking around brambles

JohnnearCfon
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15 years ago

#49

Basically there isn't any news. I doubt there will be until the future use of the site is resolved between the owner of the site Gwynedd CC and other interested parties. In the mean time weather and vandals continue to take there toll.

jhluxton
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15 years ago

#50

Only just joined adit-now but I have been interesting in Industrial Archaeology for years.

Back in the summer of 1989 I went to Dorothea to photograph the engine house. To me it looked that at some stage work had been done on the building as some of the paint on the wood work looked relatively fresh.

I also recall that some years before visiting that I first heard of a company called Dorothea Restoration Engineering - they appear to still exist as Dorothea Restorations.

Does anyone know if DRE actually had anything to do with the engine and any attempted restoration or is there just coincidence in the name being the same?

John

www.jhluxton.com - Transport, Industrial Archaeology Photography and More
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