Location
SH 799 125
Directions
A toughie to find â€" it is marked on the O/S map as a quarry and Levels it is located near Dinas Mawddwy, Mid-Wales. You can park right next to it but you need to drive along forest tracks (no gates).
Access
All ungated, no known permissions required
Suggested Equipment
None
Length
possibly ¾ mile in total or more
Flood Risk
There is water in the main level but no evidence it has ever been higher than 1 foot deep. There is a trial adit higher up that is flooded almost to the ceiling.
Mine Attributes
Slate
Description
Hendre Ddu is a large quarry on multiple tiers stepping up at the back end of a “V†valley. There are numerous tunnels and adits on many levels on the outside of the quarry which was used to transport the quarry material.
HOWEVER, at the front of the quarry (marked as “levels†on the O/S map) and to the right as you approach the quarry is a large adit around ½ mile (or more) in length. This adit contains a good number of chambers and a higher internal level/adit can be reached internally by scrambling up the spoil in one of the chambers.
The main adit is mineral rich with sulphur & iron as you enter although this disappears as the slate manifests.
The chambers are in poor condition which some substantial collapses.
There is an interesting tipping arrangement from the higher level with some equipment left in situ above the tipping hole which can be seen when you work your way up.
Additionally, on the upper level there is a small hole in the main adit leading into a small chamber with an internal stream of water pouring down the wall which is bright yellow with sulphur (the photos don’t do it justice) â€" this is a real spectacle and much better to see with your own eyes (it’s not the usual zinc/brown colour â€" it really is bright yellow and fantastic).
Plenty of chambers to mooch around in.
I have been unable to find any references to this mine and it may be largely forgotten about.
Unexplored Passages
One higher adit which could not be reached â€" it is not know where it leads.
Digs
None
Links
None Known
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Ian,
These are great photos. I'm writing a book about Hendreddu, and would love to include a couple of your shots if I could (with full credit to you, of course). Is that possible?
Many thanks,
Dan
Hi Dan,
Help yourself, I am not fussed about any copyright issues.
(Love to see your book when you have done it :) )
Ian
I have been forwarded some very useful information from Dave Linton who has allowed me to share it here (which is very cool) (Copy & Paste) ;
It might be more useful to people if you post something in the UCET forum that points them at my website www.hendrecoed.org.uk and specifically www.hendrecoed.org.uk/Wilkinson/search
That would have two advantages (1) it provides similar (where available) info (including a map display) for all the sites in north Wales and (2) it gets updated as I find additional sites or make corrections.
I can’t take credit for most of the data on the site â€" if you want to know the history behind the project have a read of www.hendrecoed.org.uk/Wilkinson
Cheers
Dave
p.s. I’m always happy to receive corrections and additions to the data I’ve got.
â€"
David Linton
Also;
HENDRE DDU QUARRY????slate????Mallwyd, Merioneth????SH801124
Persons, companies and organisations:
1875â€"1876 Buckley, Sir Edmund Operator
1875â€"1876 Williams, William Mine Agent
1883 Bradwell, David J Operator
1884â€"1885 Bradwell, D & J Operator????Home Office List of Quarries 1884â€"1893
1886â€"1893 Hendre Ddu Slate & Slab Quarry Co Ltd Operator????Home Office List of Quarries 1884â€"1893
1895 Bradwell, D & J Operator
1896â€"1903 Bradwell, J Mine Agent
1896â€"1909 Bradwell, J Operator
1904â€"1905 Bradwell, D W Mine Agent
1906 Rundell, J Mine Agent
1907 Bradwell, J Mine Agent
1908â€"1909 Bradwell, D W Mine Agent
1915â€"1919 Davies, E H Operator
1915â€"1920 Davies, E H Mine Agent
1920â€"1921 National Welsh Slate Quarries Ltd Operator (Limited Company)
1921 Twitchin, N E Mine Agent
1922â€"1926 Hargreaves, J C Mine Agent
1922â€"1936 Hendreddu Slate Quarries Operator (Limited Company)
1927â€"1950 Harris, J H Mine Agent
1938â€"1950 Williams, T Glyn & Co Operator
References:
Cambrian News 1920 Mar 19
Clwyd Record Office â€" DD/WY/5364
Clwyd Record Office â€" DD/WY/5365
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Caernarfon Archive Office â€" BJC D8 No. 564
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Merioneth Sales Catalogue No. 12 of 1876
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/DCA/68
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/DCG/2/102
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/F/6
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/M/1003
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/M/1090
Gwynedd Archives Service â€" Dolgellau Archive Office â€" Z/M/2458
Home Office List of Mines 1875â€"1876
Home Office List of Mines 1883
Home Office List of Mines 1895â€"1909
Home Office List of Mines 1915â€"1950
Home Office List of Quarries 1884â€"1893
Inspector of Mines Reports 1875 p. 412
Inspector of Mines Reports 1876 p. 379
Inspector of Mines Reports 1898 p. 25 (fatal accident)
Inspector of Mines Reports 1899 pp. 11, 24
Inspector of Mines Reports 1907 pp. 29, 50
Mining Journal 1864 p. 148
Mining Journal 1865 p. 119
Mining Journal 1866 p. 93
Mining Journal 1869 pp. 797, 817
Mining Journal 1876 p. 1183
National Library of Wales â€" Davies Bros. Portmadoc Report No. 60
National Library of Wales â€" Manuscript No. 18870 F
Ordnance Survey six-inch map of Merioneth 2nd ed. sheet XXXVIII SW revised 1900, published 1901
Public Record Office: BT 31/ 25458/162816
Public Record Office: BT 31/ 540/2188
Richards, A J, Gazeteer of Slate Quarrying in Wales, 2nd ed., pp. 246â€"7
Quarry Managers Journal v. 26 p. 422
Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society Vol. 1928 pp. 358â€"9
Towyn on Sea and Merioneth County Times 25 Aug 1898 p. 8
It is an interesting place. Higher up off the open quarry pit there’s a level that leads to a steep descent (climbable, no tackle needed) to a chamber that has been worked but with no obvious way of removing the slate. I also found a level in the woods that looked very muddy but didn’t have time to explore that. One of these days I must go back there.
Cheers
Dave
The forestry roads have recently been barriered: We walked around 2miles to reach the place.
Ian, how did you get to the heading with the steel wire cable & pulley block strung above it?
Delightfully untouched mine with zero litter.
We parked up close to the bottom one of the two mines then walked up to the higher one - it certainly wasn't 2 miles - a few hundred yards maybe ....
Did you see the bright yellow waterfall (sulphur impregnated flowstone)?
:woohoo:
Ian
Yes, we saw a few bright yellow flows: Comment was made that you'd like them!
We parked on the minor mountain road between Aberllefenni and the A470. The barriers are a recent thing.