1. The History
Very little history (and no archive pictures) of this medium-sized quarry. Located 4 km from Llan Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Foel Gron was initially an open slate quarry in the 1850s. It was also later worked underground. The mill and dressing sheds were a distance from the quarry, linked by a tramway, as there was insufficient water to drive the water-wheel close to the quarry.
Subsequent un-topping to produce granite obliterated the majority of the underground slate extraction remains. The mill and the dressing sheds were completely removed during later landscaping work and now nothing remains.
Old O/S map of the area:
Interesting, some episodes of Dr Who were filmed in the vicinity of the quarry. For more info see HERE
Across the road from Foel Gron and down a former miner’s track can be found Croes Y Ddwyafon quarry between Ffestiniog and Capel Celyn. When in use, most of the mining occurred underground, it has now been partially backfilled, possibly blocking any flooded tunnels. There are a few shafts surrounding the quarry which may have led to some of the works, however most of these have also been blocked. The site which was re-opened in the 1980’s has been abandoned since and all the ‘new’ buildings have gone.
2. The Explore
First explore of the hols. This one is down to @tigger as his excellent report HERE alerted me to this place. The morning was very foggy and the clouds very low, making visibility poor. On the way up the miner’s track, you pass what appears to be an old waterwheel pit on the right before you come to a small fenced adit. Having checked it out, it was flooded to around knee depth and, on this occasion, with just my wellies, I chickened out. It heads directly to the main mine workings and may have been used to provide water to a leete to turn the water wheel. The main mine has had its front quarried away, leaving 4 entrances hanging on the rock-face: one large, ground level entrance, a small downward sloping and flooded adit and two high “windows”. The second adit was a scramble down an also very wet too so gave this a miss too. After I climb up to the top of the overground workings, I headed back down to the miner’s track and back to the car as the weather further deteriorated.
3. The Photographs
Looking across Lynn Dubach towards the quarry:
Over to the start of the miner’s track:
And along it we go:
That wheel-house structure halfway up (C):
Near the adit were all these old metal shavings:
The bottom adit (B):
It was just a bit too wet:
Continuing upwards past the waste tips:
And the main quarry pit (A):
Looking back out:
Looking into the chamber:
Looking into the second adit. As mentioned, this was even wetter:
One of the two upper openings:
Climbing up to the upper reaches:
With the weather closing in:
Time to go back down again:
Later that day, just before dusk, we took a walk to the quarry the other side of the road (D) - Croes Y Ddwyafon. There wasn’t a whole lot left to see but the main flooded quarry pit was pretty impressive.
Foundations of a former quarry building:
Edge of the cliff:
And the main quarry pit:
And the nearby stream that provided water power to the quarry:
Very little history (and no archive pictures) of this medium-sized quarry. Located 4 km from Llan Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Foel Gron was initially an open slate quarry in the 1850s. It was also later worked underground. The mill and dressing sheds were a distance from the quarry, linked by a tramway, as there was insufficient water to drive the water-wheel close to the quarry.
Subsequent un-topping to produce granite obliterated the majority of the underground slate extraction remains. The mill and the dressing sheds were completely removed during later landscaping work and now nothing remains.
Old O/S map of the area:
Interesting, some episodes of Dr Who were filmed in the vicinity of the quarry. For more info see HERE
Across the road from Foel Gron and down a former miner’s track can be found Croes Y Ddwyafon quarry between Ffestiniog and Capel Celyn. When in use, most of the mining occurred underground, it has now been partially backfilled, possibly blocking any flooded tunnels. There are a few shafts surrounding the quarry which may have led to some of the works, however most of these have also been blocked. The site which was re-opened in the 1980’s has been abandoned since and all the ‘new’ buildings have gone.
2. The Explore
First explore of the hols. This one is down to @tigger as his excellent report HERE alerted me to this place. The morning was very foggy and the clouds very low, making visibility poor. On the way up the miner’s track, you pass what appears to be an old waterwheel pit on the right before you come to a small fenced adit. Having checked it out, it was flooded to around knee depth and, on this occasion, with just my wellies, I chickened out. It heads directly to the main mine workings and may have been used to provide water to a leete to turn the water wheel. The main mine has had its front quarried away, leaving 4 entrances hanging on the rock-face: one large, ground level entrance, a small downward sloping and flooded adit and two high “windows”. The second adit was a scramble down an also very wet too so gave this a miss too. After I climb up to the top of the overground workings, I headed back down to the miner’s track and back to the car as the weather further deteriorated.
3. The Photographs
Looking across Lynn Dubach towards the quarry:
Over to the start of the miner’s track:
And along it we go:
That wheel-house structure halfway up (C):
Near the adit were all these old metal shavings:
The bottom adit (B):
It was just a bit too wet:
Continuing upwards past the waste tips:
And the main quarry pit (A):
Looking back out:
Looking into the chamber:
Looking into the second adit. As mentioned, this was even wetter:
One of the two upper openings:
Climbing up to the upper reaches:
With the weather closing in:
Time to go back down again:
Later that day, just before dusk, we took a walk to the quarry the other side of the road (D) - Croes Y Ddwyafon. There wasn’t a whole lot left to see but the main flooded quarry pit was pretty impressive.
Foundations of a former quarry building:
Edge of the cliff:
And the main quarry pit:
And the nearby stream that provided water power to the quarry:
