[Pic 8] Minllyn Quarry - Upper
mill level: small buildings and incline down from upper pit & workings (1995)
Beyond the main Upper mill level were further workings up
the hillside, with a long incline connection (see Pic 8) and several open pits come opened out chambers. Like the lower one, the Upper pit
workings are in poor condition. |
[Pic 9] Minllyn Quarry - View from above (1989)
I've added pic 9 (above) to this collection because it gives
a sense of the layout (and the high up location) of the main workings. Just below camera is the lower main pit come opened out chambers (accessed
via the main tunnel) while visible on the right is the upper workings incline route descending to mill level. From this view more can be seen of
the long main tip from the mill area - this tip is very big and is the first thing seen on the way up the old track route to the site. |
[Pic 10] Minllyn Quarry - (1989)
This is the Upper Incline drum house - or what remains of it ! Probably
long out of use (even before the quarries closure) as these upper workings here are long abandoned. Note the edge of the upper pit workings right next
door to the drum house. |
[Pic 11]
Minllyn Quarry - The old upper workings (1989)
Looking uphill from just above pic 10 level this is a view of
older workings climbing up towards the shoulder of the hillside via a shallow ravine. Note the very old tramway cutting in the foreground - the
rest of its route (and source) seemingly buried by other excavations. All the way up from here are old adits and trials. Beyond the hillside
summit was the small Cae Abaty quarry which, in later days, somehow uphauled its finished product to the hill top, then lowered it down - probably
via this ravine - to the summit of Minllyn's upper incline and then down to the mills. The route and power source of this uphaulage is somewhat
hazy, but it did occur and it is feasable - for sure i've seen crazier routes taken in the pursuit of easier (and more importantly cheaper) ways to
get finished material out of a quarry - though probably no great tonnages were involved here me thinks.
In conclusion, this is almost a little gem of a site - but it took several visits
before i understood some of its layout. Of the remains it should be noted that on the valley floor the (New) mill is in re-use by Meirion woolen
mill - where they do a fine lasagne in their cafe, just whats needed after hours spent trudging around a damp quarry :)
Notes: Typical annual tonnage was 550 tons with 50 men*
* Good sources of more information:-
The Slate Regions of North and Mid Wales / Alun John Richards / Gwasg Carreg Gwalch /
Page 228
A Gazeteer of the Welsh Slate Industry /
Alun John Richards / Gwasg Carreg Gwalch / Page 172 |