A couple more small mines, next to each other along a valley near Llanfair Talhaiarn.
As usual there were no pictures and not much information so the only thing to do was to go and look.
Both of these were active during the late 1800’s, excavating north-easterly veins of lead ore which were probably first noticed as outcrops on the side of the valley.
Bron Heulog. Named after the neaby farm there was nothing easily explorable here, so some pictures for the record.
The lowest level (adit/tunnel) was blocked - this is looking downhill with a waste tip in the field beyond.
The higher level was open if rather clogged, but with less than a foot of head room wasn’t really doable in waders.
Up near the top of the hill is a streak of mining waste from more excavations.
Plenty of evidence of lead mining here - this is a chunk of vein boundary with islands of weathered galena surrounded by quartz crystals.
One of the bits of ore after scraping off the coating.
Whacking open a few nearby rocks also revealed traces of iron and copper.
Ty’n-y-Ddol. The lower level of this one is more or less in front of Ty'n Ddol farm, so I asked if I could have a look - the farmer kindly agreed but probably thought I was mad.
The lower tunnel was apparently driven in the hope intercepting a vein which had been found higher up.
It goes straight in then stops abruptly and seems not to have been very productive.
The higher level was driven on the vein and winds around a bit with a short offshoot immediately inside the entrance.
A worked-out space on one side just before the end chamber, which had a small colony of bats roosting on the ceiling.
On the way back out.
I didn’t find much evidence of what was being mined here on the waste tip, but the recorded output is 3 tonnes of lead ore, so nobody in Ty’n-Ddol got rich.
As usual there were no pictures and not much information so the only thing to do was to go and look.
Both of these were active during the late 1800’s, excavating north-easterly veins of lead ore which were probably first noticed as outcrops on the side of the valley.
Bron Heulog. Named after the neaby farm there was nothing easily explorable here, so some pictures for the record.
The lowest level (adit/tunnel) was blocked - this is looking downhill with a waste tip in the field beyond.
The higher level was open if rather clogged, but with less than a foot of head room wasn’t really doable in waders.
Up near the top of the hill is a streak of mining waste from more excavations.
Plenty of evidence of lead mining here - this is a chunk of vein boundary with islands of weathered galena surrounded by quartz crystals.
One of the bits of ore after scraping off the coating.
Whacking open a few nearby rocks also revealed traces of iron and copper.
Ty’n-y-Ddol. The lower level of this one is more or less in front of Ty'n Ddol farm, so I asked if I could have a look - the farmer kindly agreed but probably thought I was mad.
The lower tunnel was apparently driven in the hope intercepting a vein which had been found higher up.
It goes straight in then stops abruptly and seems not to have been very productive.
The higher level was driven on the vein and winds around a bit with a short offshoot immediately inside the entrance.
A worked-out space on one side just before the end chamber, which had a small colony of bats roosting on the ceiling.
On the way back out.
I didn’t find much evidence of what was being mined here on the waste tip, but the recorded output is 3 tonnes of lead ore, so nobody in Ty’n-Ddol got rich.
