real time web analytics
Report - - Penmaenmawr Quarry West (Wales, Sept, 2022) | Mines and Quarries | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Penmaenmawr Quarry West (Wales, Sept, 2022)

Hide this ad by donating or subscribing !

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
This is the follow-up to the previous report and covers the western section of the quarry.
Without repeating the history, Penmeanmawr was and still is a granite quarry, originally producing stone for paving, and subsequently crushed rock.



The walk. No planning whatsoever was involved, I just drove up round the back, headed for some buildings near the summit and kept going.
The final route is shown below on a leaflet from the little museum in Penmaenmawr - it would have been more sensible to have visited the museum first so I had more idea what I was looking at.



52415192291_22a545e51d_h.jpg



There are lot of pictures here, all phone, but then there’s a lot to see.

Starting just to the west of the former peak of the hill, which has now been quarried away, there’s a collection of empty sheds, the largest of which seems to have housed an air compressor judging by the air tank behind.



52414678007_9c97d228c1_h.jpg




52414677952_f26e62b019_h.jpg




52415702438_da4f146c7b_h.jpg



A look into the hole in the top of the hill, then down an incline to a couple of drum houses and what was probably a workshop.


52415634730_d99293e5d8_h.jpg




52415634715_f5279b73fd_h.jpg




52415702358_73b9204c8d_h.jpg




52415474009_d67d9d3ec3_h.jpg




52415473964_b950c0d6d4_h.jpg




52414677707_fb5f8b08c4_h.jpg




52415634550_7c3ed5e562_h.jpg




52415196971_9c7b1c4a72_h.jpg



Down further to an empty building, maybe another workshop, which is concrete but with an extra stone wall on the uphill side, maybe for protection from falling rocks.
The drum house next door still has a turntable for diverting in wagons of rock.



52415191836_2533ea5628_h.jpg




52415702158_fb384a6c57_h.jpg




52415473769_003824a35a_h.jpg




52415702098_e3afb279df_b.jpg



On the the next shelf are some sheds where workers shaped paving setts.
The bits of rusty metal sheeting with holes are said to be old sizing screens from the crushing mills - concrete was poured over them to make walls and roofs.



52415702068_0a3869cb0b_h.jpg



A loco shed with a little rusty steam engine outside - the other side of the shed has a built-in water tank.


52415473669_260a828028_h.jpg




52415473629_7492702c8e_h.jpg



Two more drum houses, one of which has most of the brake lever mechanism still there.
The brakeman needed to be able see over the edge of the incline, hence the long levers.



52415473574_011237cf75_h.jpg




52415473529_df5711e273_h.jpg



This one partly made out of reinforced concrete.


52414677317_79cd47515e_h.jpg




52415191396_a5ae16a637_b.jpg



A couple of inclines go down from here, I took the upper one which still has the sheave for the winding rope.


52414677237_54a4d94506_h.jpg



A couple more drum houses with some weighbridge equipment nearby.


52414677207_4e81e97015_h.jpg




52415473409_f492bef3dd_b.jpg




52415701708_f31caede1a_h.jpg




52415633990_1d4888cd43_b.jpg




52415191231_77323cf07b_h.jpg




continued
 

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
At the bottom of this incline is a big chute where rock was tipped down to the Penmaen crushing mill.


52415701618_3a1232334c_h.jpg



Mechanism for tipping two wagons side by side.


52415701578_d85ff3bdc5_h.jpg



Clambering down there’s nothing left of the mill except foundations.


52415701538_8a90f02803_h.jpg




52414676887_c6c401d5f3_h.jpg




52415191021_97b09426d0_b.jpg




52415473084_2786e18699_h.jpg




52415473064_5fa569cb8c_h.jpg



Closeup from a 1947 aerial photo showing what used to be here, one of many such useful photos from the 1930/40s covering pretty much all of the quarries.


52415474299_86bfd2ea75_h.jpg



Over a bridge across another incline to another drum house.


52415190886_c41d9e6004_h.jpg




52415472919_6c72114b6a_h.jpg



Past a former loco shed and round the hill on what used to be a tramway for transporting stone from the western quarry.
The wagons were hauled first by horses then steam - little loco seen previously up the hill apparently chuffed along here from 1878 - 1902.



52415633630_e4f87fdebf_h.jpg



52415633440_4d4b2e4a78_h.jpg



A short detour down to the Pendalar area of Llanfairfechan to take in two more drum houses.
There was another crushing mill down there but the foundations have now been sanitised and are in a public park surrounded by seating.



52415633820_3ca5903358_h.jpg




52415701153_8f032ab37e_h.jpg




52415190696_ef2da5c16f_h.jpg



Now up the inclines at the western end.


52414676477_3c34d240d6_h.jpg




52415472679_cedc83486d_h.jpg




52414676432_d05288ab51_h.jpg



More sett makers huts - the orangish stone of the quarry face here is of noticeably poor quality which is why it’s been left.


52415190561_d158215a86_h.jpg




52415190546_69b9c08372_h.jpg



Another drum house beside a little tunnel through to one of the terraces.


52414676312_77364b432e_h.jpg




52415190451_528e78d36e_h.jpg



View down to Pendalar.


52415472449_f00271da99_h.jpg



The next incline still has its rails with longitudinal sleepers.
At the top is a well built drum house with ruined huts and other structures on the terrace behind.



52414676197_12821612af_h.jpg




52415633050_360a817194_h.jpg




52415700788_9618479b90_h.jpg




52415633025_cba26d1927_h.jpg




52415190276_c63646ce39_h.jpg




continued
 

urbanchemist

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Around the corner on this level is an empty building with a plinth for machinery and a water tank behind.
Beyond is what looks like a workshop/forge.



52415190136_9c8181c304_h.jpg




52414678887_8cf5dd633c_h.jpg




52415472189_eeb560e14e_h.jpg



Now back up on top there’s a little pump house next to a reservoir.
The reservoir must have been filled by rainwater runoff as there are no obvious water sources on this side of the hill.



52415192181_acd70fcef3_h.jpg




52414675917_1da0e56338_h.jpg



Two pumps here, an electrically driven one with the motor missing.


52415632755_f456634339_h.jpg




52415632715_dc37fe6a6e_b.jpg




52415700528_3e8bdd9fc8_h.jpg




52414678102_da2941c56a_b.jpg



And an older looking reciprocating one, also with whatever drove it missing.
The nameplate is hard to read but was kindly deciphered by the author of a local history website Sutton Beauty & Heritage St.Helens Home as Wm A Taylor Engineering of Rainford, who specialised in colliery machinery.
This seems to have been a short-lived business - Taylor was killed in 1915 at Ypres.



52415700513_8400e4d00c_h.jpg




52415700453_d3ed061765_b.jpg




52415471949_006d070220_h.jpg



The pumps presumably pumped to something higher up the hill, maybe a storage tank or mill.
The quarry would have needed water to fill steam engine boilers in mills and locos and maybe for dust suppression during rock crushing.

As for the eastern side, this was a longish but enjoyable walk.
Most metallic stuff been salvaged but there are still a few drum houses to examine - about a third of the 62 shown on a plan in the previous post are still there.
 
Last edited:

wormster

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
That place is full of cracking little finds, my favourite is the little powder magazine

[link]6136[linkphoto]6136[/linkphoto][/link]

(hopefully that will display my aditnow photo)
 

Mr Sam

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Finally got here the other day (will put some pics up at some point) Looks like i worked my way down a similar route to you but only went about half way as the weather was due to change by lunchtime and really didn't fancy climbing the inclines in the wet! Would be handy todo it with 2 cars and leave one on the opposite side at sea level as its just colossal.
 

Who has read this thread (Total: 154) View details

Top