Braichgoch Slate Mine
Encyclopedia
Braichgoch Slate Mine was a large slate mine
located in Corris Uchaf
, north Wales
. It was worked continuously from 1787 until closure in 1970, apart from a hiatus in the 1900s. Most of the surface workings of the quarry were removed as part of a road widening and landscaping scheme in 1983.
Part of the underground mine workings are now open to the public as the King Arthur's Labyrinth tourist attraction (a fantasy journey into Arthurian legend taking place on one level of the mine) and the newly launched Corris Mine Explorers. Through the subterranean Corris Mine Explorer expeditions, the working lives of 19th century Welsh miners can be seen firsthand. Equipment and discarded personal belongings remain untouched as relics of Welsh industry. The landscaped site above ground is also home to the Corris Craft Centre, a retail site from which several craft based shops operate.
quarry at Aberllefenni
is believed to have first been worked.
In 1787, David Williams leased the quarrying and mineral rights at Gaewern and Braich Goch from John Edwards, representing the Vanes Estate. It is not certain when quarrying began on this land, but certainly slate extraction had started by 1812. The early mining took place at Gaewern, the northern of the two quarry areas, under the auspices of the Merionethshire Slate Company.
It was not until 1836 that quarrying began at Braich Goch proper, under the name the North Wales Slate & Slab Company. By 1838 the lease, still from (now) Sir John Edwards, was expanded. In 1840 an incline
was constructed to easy movement of slate within the quarry. In 1843 the company surrendered the lease to Arthur Causton a civil engineer
. He obtained a new lease directly from the Vanes Estate, thus removing the sub-leasing arrangement with John Edwards.
Meanwhile the neighbouring Gaewern quarry was struggling and in 1848 the Merionethshire Slate Company was dissolved after the discovery of serious financial mismanagement. In 1853 the property was taken over by a company known as Alltgoed Consolls. They restarted quarrying at Gaewern.
In 1851 new partners were brought in to the North Wales Slate & Slab Company, which was reformed under the name Braich Goch Slate and Slab Company. However an attempted floatation of the company failed to attract enough investors and the partners were brought out by John Rowlands, who owned Gaewern and Ratgoed quarries. At this time Braich Goch quarry included 2 waterwheels, 6 planning machines, 9 sawing engines, 2 miles of tramway and inclined planes and 6 hand sawing machines amongst other equipment.
By 1856 shareholders in the Alltgoed Consols were increasingly discontented by the lack of profits from the three quarries.
In 1859 the Corris Tramroad opened, connecting the Corris district with Machynlleth and the River Dyfi beyond. The Birley family saw the opportunity of this new transportation route for improving profitability of the local quarries and purchased the lease for Braich Goch from Rowlands, forming Braich Goch Slate Quarry Ltd. Rowlands continued with Gaewern, though without financial success and in 1868 sold it to the Talyllyn Slate Company. That same year employment at Braich Goch had grown to over 200 men.
, slate being shipped there by horse cart.
Braich Goch was connected to the Corris Railway
via the horse-worked Upper Corris Tramway.
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
located in Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The...
, north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was worked continuously from 1787 until closure in 1970, apart from a hiatus in the 1900s. Most of the surface workings of the quarry were removed as part of a road widening and landscaping scheme in 1983.
Part of the underground mine workings are now open to the public as the King Arthur's Labyrinth tourist attraction (a fantasy journey into Arthurian legend taking place on one level of the mine) and the newly launched Corris Mine Explorers. Through the subterranean Corris Mine Explorer expeditions, the working lives of 19th century Welsh miners can be seen firsthand. Equipment and discarded personal belongings remain untouched as relics of Welsh industry. The landscaped site above ground is also home to the Corris Craft Centre, a retail site from which several craft based shops operate.
History
Slate quarrying in the Corris district dates back to the 14th. century when the Foel GrochanAberllefenni Slate Quarry
Aberllefenni Slate Quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan , Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu, located in Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continually operated slate mine in the world until its closure in 2003...
quarry at Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
is believed to have first been worked.
In 1787, David Williams leased the quarrying and mineral rights at Gaewern and Braich Goch from John Edwards, representing the Vanes Estate. It is not certain when quarrying began on this land, but certainly slate extraction had started by 1812. The early mining took place at Gaewern, the northern of the two quarry areas, under the auspices of the Merionethshire Slate Company.
It was not until 1836 that quarrying began at Braich Goch proper, under the name the North Wales Slate & Slab Company. By 1838 the lease, still from (now) Sir John Edwards, was expanded. In 1840 an incline
Cable railway
A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:...
was constructed to easy movement of slate within the quarry. In 1843 the company surrendered the lease to Arthur Causton a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. He obtained a new lease directly from the Vanes Estate, thus removing the sub-leasing arrangement with John Edwards.
Meanwhile the neighbouring Gaewern quarry was struggling and in 1848 the Merionethshire Slate Company was dissolved after the discovery of serious financial mismanagement. In 1853 the property was taken over by a company known as Alltgoed Consolls. They restarted quarrying at Gaewern.
In 1851 new partners were brought in to the North Wales Slate & Slab Company, which was reformed under the name Braich Goch Slate and Slab Company. However an attempted floatation of the company failed to attract enough investors and the partners were brought out by John Rowlands, who owned Gaewern and Ratgoed quarries. At this time Braich Goch quarry included 2 waterwheels, 6 planning machines, 9 sawing engines, 2 miles of tramway and inclined planes and 6 hand sawing machines amongst other equipment.
By 1856 shareholders in the Alltgoed Consols were increasingly discontented by the lack of profits from the three quarries.
In 1859 the Corris Tramroad opened, connecting the Corris district with Machynlleth and the River Dyfi beyond. The Birley family saw the opportunity of this new transportation route for improving profitability of the local quarries and purchased the lease for Braich Goch from Rowlands, forming Braich Goch Slate Quarry Ltd. Rowlands continued with Gaewern, though without financial success and in 1868 sold it to the Talyllyn Slate Company. That same year employment at Braich Goch had grown to over 200 men.
Transport
By the mid 1840s, Braich Goch quarry maintained a wharf at MachynllethMachynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
, slate being shipped there by horse cart.
Braich Goch was connected to the Corris Railway
Corris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
via the horse-worked Upper Corris Tramway.