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View Full Version : Archived: Aberdare No.1 Level Iron Mine, Pontypool - July 09



sinnerman
26-07-2009, 06:47 PM
I know very little about Aberdare number 1 other than it opened in 1797 to supply the iron works of the Hanbury family who were the iron masters of Pontypool its hey day would have been during the Napolionic wars when the Hanbury iron works were at their busiest. The mine extends below the now disused Penyrhoel resevoior which opened in 1914 after the mine closed. Some concrete reforceing of the mine tok place in 1909 to stop water draining out of the reservior and the mines air shaft was extended by a brick lined chymney which rose above the of the surface of the reservoir.

The mine its self is quite low most of it your doubled if not tripled over so i've come out with a fucked up back i can hardly walk to the fridge for a beer. but there are some interesting features down there including the remains of a Hudson 1 tonne tipper truck a miners pipe and an iron vagina. well worth a look around. On to the pics.


The adit
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim01.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim02.jpg

One of the only bits of passage i could stand in.
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim03.jpg

The trolly's chasis
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim04.jpg

The tub is a little further up the passage
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim05.jpg

Concrete reenforcing where the mine passes below the reserviour
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim06.jpg

The airshaft with the chymney above.
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim07.jpg

leading to the surviving workings, graf on the side of the arch reads "Shawn Nut(unreadable) Died Main Fail 45"
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim08.jpg

What i am calling the Iron Vagina because it was suck a c$%* to crawl along
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim09.jpg

Which lead to a bit of arch work
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim10.jpg

THe main working cavern supported by a pillar of deads beyond here the mine is currently blocked and well dodgy
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim11.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim12.jpg

All the way through the cavern the ironstone roof is delaminating.
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim13.jpg

Miners pipe
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim14.jpg

The cement work dated 1909.
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim15.jpg

The disused reservoir today, the airshaft chymney in the brick thing, all of this would have been filled with water right up to the 70's
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/aber1/aim16.jpg