I have just received my stocks of this book and it is superb in both quality of photography , but presentation and research, an excellent job

Author Ioan Lord, PB, 168pp £14.99 ISBN  9 781784 618650 its available from myself and other bookshops

The book provides a story of the mining industry in Mid Wales and its roll in developing the metal industry in Britain, it is written in both Welsh and English with paragraphs alongside each other.

At first I thought this might lengthen it unnecessarily , however, by doing this it has provided the opportunity to provide a lot more photographs. Many of these are in colour where Ioan has carried out exploration of the Mines it is not just showing off exploration of the underground as its ably supported with historical photographs of men and machinery. He addresses the social history and living conditions for the Miners and their families with photographs and a sympathetic script to describe them. He also uses copies of mine drawings and plans to illustrate the workings, some of the machinery, tools and working methods .

The book starts with maps of the Area which helps identify the Mines being referred to he starts with the Bronze Age workings through to the 20th Century workings and surface remains

It contains not just a selection of underground photographs, which are excellent by the way, but he has detailed living and working conditions with lengthy research supported by a full Bibliography at the end

Mike

Picked up a copy in the bookshop in Llanidloes on my way back from Devon yesterday. Looks very good and agree with all that Mike has said. Amazed to see photo of a rail mounted Kellow Drill at Cymystwyth.

Picked up a copy in the bookshop in Llanidloes on my way back from Devon yesterday. Looks very good and agree with all that Mike has said. Amazed to see photo of a rail mounted Kellow Drill at Cymystwyth.

No disrespect to Ioan but I believe that the photo was used for publicity purposes and was incorrectly inscribed, being not actually taken at Cwmystwyth but Pryces Level at Alltycrib. (Talybont). Note the double track railway to take the specially constructed rolling platform, those drills were a wild thing to control!
There is no level of which I am aware at Cwmystwyth that wide, but take a look at the scanned plans on here of Alltycrib.

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Roy
Thanks. I wasn't aware of this at all or that the drills saw any use in metal mines. Do you have any idea of dates?

The large wagon for mounting the drill on is unusual since it was common practice in the slate industry to mount the drill directly to the rock face. I will try and dig out a photo of one in use at Llechwedd.

Jon

I have just received my stocks of this book and it is superb in both quality of photography , but presentation and research, an excellent job

Author Ioan Lord, PB, 168pp £14.99 ISBN  9 781784 618650 its available from myself and other bookshops

The book provides a story of the mining industry in Mid Wales and its roll in developing the metal industry in Britain, it is written in both Welsh and English with paragraphs alongside each other.

At first I thought this might lengthen it unnecessarily , however, by doing this it has provided the opportunity to provide a lot more photographs. Many of these are in colour where Ioan has carried out exploration of the Mines it is not just showing off exploration of the underground as its ably supported with historical photographs of men and machinery. He addresses the social history and living conditions for the Miners and their families with photographs and a sympathetic script to describe them. He also uses copies of mine drawings and plans to illustrate the workings, some of the machinery, tools and working methods .

The book starts with maps of the Area which helps identify the Mines being referred to he starts with the Bronze Age workings through to the 20th Century workings and surface remains

It contains not just a selection of underground photographs, which are excellent by the way, but he has detailed living and working conditions with lengthy research supported by a full Bibliography at the end

Mike

I mentioned this book last week.
https://www.aditnow.co.uk/Community/viewtopic.aspx?p=202954#msg202954 

Roy
Thanks. I wasn't aware of this at all or that the drills saw any use in metal mines. Do you have any idea of dates?

The large wagon for mounting the drill on is unusual since it was common practice in the slate industry to mount the drill directly to the rock face. I will try and dig out a photo of one in use at Llechwedd.

Jon

The material came from you originally, the Adrian Barrell disk. You should have all the info I have. Sales in 1911 and 1912 dont describe invoices so its guesswork what was sold, but customers included May Mining Co, (Cwmystwyth), Rio Tinto, and Talybont lead Mines Ltd. So the sales to May might not have even included Kell Drills, if it did they must have been used for stoping. Main working level at the time was Lefel y Ffordd, certainly does not look Kell Drill driven and was likely much earlier anyway. The timber sets are still visible next to the road and nothing like the width of the level in the "Ready for work" photograph.
This is my opinion anyway.

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Roy
Thanks. I wasn't aware of this at all or that the drills saw any use in metal mines. Do you have any idea of dates?

The large wagon for mounting the drill on is unusual since it was common practice in the slate industry to mount the drill directly to the rock face. I will try and dig out a photo of one in use at Llechwedd.

Jon

The material came from you originally, the Adrian Barrell disk. You should have all the info I have. Sales in 1911 and 1912 dont describe invoices so its guesswork what was sold, but customers included May Mining Co, (Cwmystwyth), Rio Tinto, and Talybont lead Mines Ltd. So the sales to May might not have even included Kell Drills, if it did they must have been used for stoping. Main working level at the time was Lefel y Ffordd, certainly does not look Kell Drill driven and was likely much earlier anyway. The timber sets are still visible next to the road and nothing like the width of the level in the "Ready for work" photograph.
This is my opinion anyway.

Roy

Well taking the mick out of CJ's memory certainly backfired! It is a long time since I read the Croesor file but it is all there. From the accounts that are included, and noting that they only list payments not the detail of what was bought, it is likely that 2 drills were supplied to Mid Wales Metal Mines.

November 1911 - May Mining Co. Devils Bridge

July 1912 - Talybont Lead Mines

Interestingly the photo in Ioan's book has "May Lead Mine" written on it although personally I don't know anything about this firm, does anybody else?

Jon

Its in the mineral stats, but if anyone out there knows more it will be Ioan Lord.

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