Foel Ispri is the next hill along from Clogau, and is a bit of a rabbit warren of holes.
Only the eastern end is covered here since the western end (Cambrian) was included in post #3 about the valley between Clogau and Foel Ispri.
The Prince of Wales mine at the foot of the hill is included although it was largely run as a separate operation.
The picture above shows most of the levels (adits/tunnels) marked on maps, although there are many short trials which don’t appear - the two yellow dots are the remains of mills.
Like other gold mines the history of this area is complicated with divided mineral rights and numerous changes of ownership.
Mineralisation was generally poor with mainly lead and zinc extracted, together with variable amounts of gold from the quartz veins.
Starting at the bottom, the Prince of Wales mine is probably best known as the place from where chunks of quartz containing visible specks of gold were stolen in order to ‘salt’ other mines.
But the gold was too patchy to pay and main shaft, which extended well below sea level, was eventually allowed to flood in 1906.
There wasn’t much to see here - this is a short level leading to a shaft.
Immediately below is a gated level where the shaft probably emerges - a mine plan shows the main adit heading off to the right from where the shaft comes down.
Nearby is a short flooded level which seems to have been a trial - I looked for other entrances to the mine in the forestry further east but didn’t find any.
Moving over to the lower mill, this was built around 1900 and kitted out with machinery powered by two ‘gas engines’ in the expectation of huge mineral finds.
However these never materialised so it only ran for a few months and ended its days making bricks, presumably fire bricks, from the quartz waste containing very low concentrations of gold.
I didn’t know what to expect here, but the remains turned out to be quite extensive - like a terraced Mayan ruin buried in the woods.
It was difficult to get decent photos because of the trees and sunshine, but this wall at the rear of a flat area is the height of a small house and about 40 yards long.
Behind is a long space with a pair of squat towers above.
Further up the hill is a lake (Tan-y-Graig) which once supplied water to Llanelltyd village below.
There are old water channels crossing the hillside in this forested region possibly connected with the mills.
Below the mill is a very short tunnel with some ducting and an electric pump where someone has being trying to drain a sump.
No pictures of this since it’s so short, instead a longer one with rails further up which ends in a pile of rocks.
Above here are three gated levels, two of which were locked.
One was open so I went as far as I could before hitting a pool - the wooden poles across were too rotten to bear much weight.
Up near the tree line are two more short levels, an orange gloopy one…
…and another which leads to in a largish chamber, open to daylight at the top.
continued
Only the eastern end is covered here since the western end (Cambrian) was included in post #3 about the valley between Clogau and Foel Ispri.
The Prince of Wales mine at the foot of the hill is included although it was largely run as a separate operation.
The picture above shows most of the levels (adits/tunnels) marked on maps, although there are many short trials which don’t appear - the two yellow dots are the remains of mills.
Like other gold mines the history of this area is complicated with divided mineral rights and numerous changes of ownership.
Mineralisation was generally poor with mainly lead and zinc extracted, together with variable amounts of gold from the quartz veins.
Starting at the bottom, the Prince of Wales mine is probably best known as the place from where chunks of quartz containing visible specks of gold were stolen in order to ‘salt’ other mines.
But the gold was too patchy to pay and main shaft, which extended well below sea level, was eventually allowed to flood in 1906.
There wasn’t much to see here - this is a short level leading to a shaft.
Immediately below is a gated level where the shaft probably emerges - a mine plan shows the main adit heading off to the right from where the shaft comes down.
Nearby is a short flooded level which seems to have been a trial - I looked for other entrances to the mine in the forestry further east but didn’t find any.
Moving over to the lower mill, this was built around 1900 and kitted out with machinery powered by two ‘gas engines’ in the expectation of huge mineral finds.
However these never materialised so it only ran for a few months and ended its days making bricks, presumably fire bricks, from the quartz waste containing very low concentrations of gold.
I didn’t know what to expect here, but the remains turned out to be quite extensive - like a terraced Mayan ruin buried in the woods.
It was difficult to get decent photos because of the trees and sunshine, but this wall at the rear of a flat area is the height of a small house and about 40 yards long.
Behind is a long space with a pair of squat towers above.
Further up the hill is a lake (Tan-y-Graig) which once supplied water to Llanelltyd village below.
There are old water channels crossing the hillside in this forested region possibly connected with the mills.
Below the mill is a very short tunnel with some ducting and an electric pump where someone has being trying to drain a sump.
No pictures of this since it’s so short, instead a longer one with rails further up which ends in a pile of rocks.
Above here are three gated levels, two of which were locked.
One was open so I went as far as I could before hitting a pool - the wooden poles across were too rotten to bear much weight.
Up near the tree line are two more short levels, an orange gloopy one…
…and another which leads to in a largish chamber, open to daylight at the top.
continued
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