Cwm Hengae | |
---|---|
Cwm Llefenni | |
Looking west from Aberllefenni quarry along Cwm Hengae | |
Geography | |
Location | Aberllefenni |
Country | Wales |
Coordinates | 52°40′23″N3°49′08″W / 52.673°N 3.819°W Coordinates: 52°40′23″N3°49′08″W / 52.673°N 3.819°W |
River | Afon Llefenni |
Cwm Hengae is a valley that runs roughly north-west from the village of Aberllefenni in Wales. The Afon Llefenni river runs along the valley and several slate quarries occupy the valley sides. The Roman road Sarn Helen ran along the valley, connecting Aberllefenni with Dolgellau. [1]
At the point where the Nant Bychan joins the Afon Llefenni, about a third of the way from Aberllefenni to the head of the valley is Hengae House. This was the home of the Anwyl family during the 19th century. [2] [3]
The major industry in Cwm Hengae was slate quarrying. Near the eastern end of the valley lie the three quarries that make up the Aberllefenni Quarry. On the south side of the valley are the Hen Gloddfa and Ceunant Du quarries, while on the north is Foel Grochan, named after the mountain it mined. These may have started working as early as the 14th century; the earliest confirmed date of operating is 1500 when the local house Plas Aberllefenni was roofed in slates from the mine. [4] The mines were in continuous operation until 2002, making them the longest continually working slate mines in the world. [5]
Further west, on the flank of Mynydd Cambergi lies Cambergi quarry, a less successful endeavor. On the south side of the valley, opposite Cambergi is the even less successful Hengae quarry. There are a few much smaller trial workings towards the head of the valley. [6]
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales.
Pennal is a village and community on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the Afon Dyfi/River Dovey, near Machynlleth.
Aberllefenni quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan, Hen Gloddfa and Ceunant Ddu, located in Cwm Hengae, just to the west of Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continually operated slate mine in the world until its closure in 2003. Foel Grochan is the quarry on the north side of the valley, facing Ceunant Ddu and Hen Gloddfa on the south; all three were worked as a single concern throughout their history. Rock was mainly extracted underground, though all three quarries had open pits as well.
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the historic county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, in the valley of the Afon Dulas, and in the community of Corris.
The Croesor Tramway was a Welsh, 2 ft narrow gauge railway line built to carry slate from the Croesor slate mines to Porthmadog. It was built in 1864 without an Act of Parliament and was operated using horse power.
Corris is a village and community in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies in the historic county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park.
Esgairgeiliog is a village in the valley of the Afon Dulas in Powys, Wales. The Afon Glesyrch joins the Dulas in the middle of the village.
Sarn Helen refers to several stretches of Roman road in Wales. The 160 mi (260 km) route, which follows a meandering course through central Wales, connects Aberconwy in the north with Carmarthen in the west. Despite its length, academic debate continues as to the precise course of the Roman road. Many sections are now used by the modern road network while other parts are still traceable. However, there are sizeable stretches that have been lost and are unidentifiable.
Corris Uchaf, locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.
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.
The Afon Dulas is a river forming the border between Merionethshire/Gwynedd and Montgomeryshire/Powys in Wales.
Garneddwen is a hamlet in the south of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the historic county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, in the valley of the Afon Dulas.
The Ratgoed Tramway was a 2 ft 3 in gauge horse-worked tramway that connected the remote Ratgoed Quarry with the Corris Railway at Aberllefenni. It was 1.75 miles (2.82 km) long.
The Nant Ceiswyn is a small river in Mid Wales. It flows from the northern flank of Mynydd Dolgoed down to Pont Cymerau, north-east of Aberllefenni. Here it joins the Nant Llwydiarth to form the Afon Dulas that flows south to the Afon Dyfi. There was an ancient bridge at Pont Cymerau.
Cymerau quarry was a slate quarry served by the Ratgoed Tramway, a horse-worked section of the Corris Railway. It is located about half a mile north of Aberllefenni in Gwynedd, north Wales, on the eastern side of the isolated Cwm Ceiswyn. It worked the Narrow Vein.
The Abercwmeiddaw quarry was a slate quarry that operated between the 1840s and 1938. It was located at Corris Uchaf about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Machynlleth, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The quarry was connected to the Corris Railway via the Upper Corris Tramway which carried its products to the Cambrian Railways at Machynlleth for distribution.
The Llwyngwern quarry was a slate quarry in Wales that opened by 1828 and continued working until about 1950. The quarry is located on the western flank of Mynydd Llwyn-gwern.
Cambergi quarry was a slate quarry in Cwm Hengae, west of Aberllefenni. It operated between 1873 and about 1895.
Mynydd Cambergi or Mynydd Cam-bergi is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales. It is a summit on a long ridge between Mynydd y Waun to the north and Foel Grochan to the east. The mountain forms the north-east side of Cwm Hengae and sits about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west of the village of Aberangell.
The Broad Vein Mudstone Formation is an Ordovician lithostratigraphic group in Mid Wales. The rock of the formation is silty mudstone, intensely bioturbated in places. It varies in colour from a pale to a medium blue. This formation has been commercially quarried as slate in several locations along its length. The formation is between 400 metres (1,300 ft) and 560 metres (1,840 ft) thick and runs from Dinas Mawddwy south-west to Cardigan Bay at Tywyn.