Quarrying for Slate - archive article

Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians

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Vanoord
54.4% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

17 years ago

This is from "Wonders of World Engineering", a weekly magazine published in the 1950s / 1960s (?).

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🔗Personal-Album-2-Image-062[linkphoto]Personal-Album-2-Image-062[/linkphoto][/link]

PDF here: http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/personal-album-2/Slate.pdf

Quite an interesting article, although I can't quite date it - all help would be appreciated! I'd assume mid or late 50s given that the Padarn Railway was still operating?

A couple of questions arise:
- where was the photograph on the second page taken?
- which is the Ffestiniog mine with 15 levels? (Oakeley?)

Hello again darkness, my old friend...

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JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

17 years ago

As the article refers to LMS and GWR, I would assume the article predates nationalistion 1/1/48. I have just Googled it, and it was published in 1930s (since writing the above!).

The photo on page 2 must be either Penrhyn or Dinorwic. However, various factors the steam loco, track, plus what appears to be a wooden frame on one of the levels in the background make me think it is more probably Penrhyn.
Don't take that as gospel though.

The 15 floor Blaenau mine is an interesting question. Doesn't Oakeley have more floors than that? My first thought was Llechwedd which has 16 floors now. Although the "1,500 feet below the top of the tramway tunnel serving it" rules out Llechwedd. Maen Offeren only had 12 floors below access. Cwmorthin doesn't have enough below lake adit level! Any other ideas?

JohnnearCfon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

17 years ago

Found out more about the magazine "Wonders of World Engineering":-

It was published in 53 weekly parts commencing March 2nd, 1937. The article "Quarrying for Slate" appeared in issue number 39. I will leave you to work out the exact date from that!

Vanoord
54.4% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

17 years ago

Older than I thought then... I've actually got the complete set in the building with me, although it's not mine :(

Hello again darkness, my old friend...

grahami
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

17 years ago

Oakeley had many more than 15 floors - however, by the 1930's the work was confined to the underground floors, (with a couple of exceptions) so 15 would be a fair estimate of the number in use at that time. (For the record floors had been 1-16, C,DE,F,G,H,I,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R though R was only opened after WW2) Llechwedd is an equal possibility, it had 19 floors in total, but again not all in work (1-8 or 9, then A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I). Votty certainly had less (C-M at this period)

I think the photo of trackwork may be Oakeley, taken from Bonc Coedan, with the Middle Quarry Main floor and mills in the distance, the humpy mountain being Carreg Blaenllym - but it's difficult to tell for certain.

Graham

The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.