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View Full Version : Penarth slate mine, Wales may 2012



the kwan
16-05-2012, 08:29 AM
A visit with Xan Asmodi, this slate mine was cold and unfriendly despite the gloriously beautiful walk to reach it, we both agreed that it was just so huge that it sucked up all available light and despite having some lovely features it was not on our list of favourites...having said that the artifacts and fantastic scenery kind of redeemed it...It has been redundant since the 1930's. so here is some history

anyway firstly a short video of our visit, very little underground filming due to the light of 3 Xml t6 torches being woefully inadequate inside this monster....
it is here

http://youtu.be/5VZbfmbpxWA


Penarth (near Corwen, Denbighshire) is a moderately-sized slate quarry, initially comprising terraces and an open pit but later also including underground workings. The remains are generally dated from 1868, when development took place as a result of the arrival of the railway, but some of the open workings are undoubtedly much earlier. The initial working used hand dressing, with the slate being carted by road. Water power may have been introduced with the development of the underground workings during the mid-nineteenth century. In or shortly after 1868, 150 men were said to have been employed but only 10 men were recorded as working at the quarry in 1883, despite a creditable near 500 tons of production at that time. The quarry closed in 1890 but re-opened five years later. An incline connection was made to the railway and a sawmill (possibly with water-powered sand saws) was situated near the foot of the incline. In 1903, it was stated that all sawing was done in this 'wharf' mill. In 1904, a sawing shed opened at the eastern end of the site with a 12 h.p. Blackburne engine. Possibly later than this, a Hornsby 40 h.p. gas engine was installed, which is stated to have operated a 'force pump'. During the years before closure, in 1932, only slab (about 1000 tons per year) was produced. Source: Alun John Richards, 'A Gazeteer of the Welsh Slate Industry' (Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1991), pp. 206-7.




the pictures

After the Yomp to the top we saw the open part of the mine and the access..a very small Xan in the picture

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/out2resized.jpg

Getting inside we realised just how big this place was
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/daveresized.jpg

xan in a chamber with a supporting slate column..look at the roof here
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/dave2resize.jpg

I only had Xan for scale but at over 6ft tall he was dwarfed by the sheer size of this mutha ..see this incline that ran two carts.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/inclineanddresized.jpg

Same incline from the side, also note another adit that we did not explore...here we met Trancentral and Degeneratron..funny who you meet in a mine :)
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/inclineresized.jpg

And from the front, you can see the incline ahead of the cart.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/cart1resized.jpg

Another caverous chamber with a three way cart track..again check that roof.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/threeway1resize.jpg


comms..tefelones I reckon

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/telephonoresize.jpg

A place called the fish house dunno why

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/fishhouseresized.jpg

A cart track that I really liked...MY FAVE:thumb

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/tracktunnelresized.jpg

A winch that was operated by windy millers brother

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/winchresize.jpg

top of the shop

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/topofinclineresized.jpg

Lookin into an incline, Xan fell here and did his arm in!!

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/lookingdowninclineresized.jpg

roof supports
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/roofsupportresize.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/roofsuppresize.jpg

WELLYBOOTS, NOT REQUIRED AFTER ALL:thumb

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p183/paulc_2007/Penarth%20slate%20mine%20corwen/wellyboots.jpg

Clough
16-05-2012, 10:33 AM
That's massive boss, does look really good a lot of these look tight and cramped and all crawly, but this one look like you can walk round it.

Mintz nice one uncle Kwan

captain cave man
20-05-2012, 11:57 PM
cracking pics.......yet another one for my to-do list :)...cheers for posting

GeoVDUB
22-05-2012, 12:41 AM
Lovely this, yet to do a mine, think I'd freak out though.

the kwan
22-05-2012, 08:29 AM
Lovely this, yet to do a mine, think I'd freak out though.

I thought that after visiting a tiny little coal mine were we had to crawl everywhere but these slate mines are huge...then you get a bug for it...your always welcome along:)

ROYALBOB
22-05-2012, 11:17 AM
Whoa that's BIG!

Little Dave
22-05-2012, 12:25 PM
Epic :thumb

fowle
22-05-2012, 04:02 PM
i actually want to visit this, i'm not a fan of the smaller stuff, but this looks pretty awesome and would be good the flash the shit out of it! haha

the kwan
22-05-2012, 04:43 PM
i actually want to visit this, i'm not a fan of the smaller stuff, but this looks pretty awesome and would be good the flash the shit out of it! haha

Just holler and we can sort it no problem, it takes some flashing:thumb

MJS
22-05-2012, 06:42 PM
WOAT

Good shit knee grow. I haz my eye on mineZ localZ not been done.

the kwan
22-05-2012, 08:09 PM
WOAT

Good shit knee grow. I haz my eye on mineZ localZ not been done.

Go forth sonny...sounds very interesting :)