Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

- 1 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

Preface to the web hosted edition.

This version of my history of the Oakeley Quarries, Blaenau Ffestiniog has only been changed in terms of organisation and formatting from my originally intended publication.

This document contains the overall content, figure and illustration lists together with my personal introduction to the history.

There are three main text documents. Part one has had the greatest editing, revision and referencing as it was obviously intended to be the first to be published. Parts two and three are in a much less refined state and much less work has been done to them since they were written.

The appendices, originally intended to be split up between the parts have been combined into one document and are in various states of completeness – I shall work on them as time permits.

Many of the figures have been completed and colour added – especially those intended to accompany part one. The rest will be updated and new ones added as I go along. I have combined some of them together here into small groups for convenience.

The photographic illustrations had only been collected for part one, and a few of those I cannot use here for copyright reasons. However, I shall select and add, again in groups as work continues.

The lists in this document will be amended and updated to indicate progress as work continues on text, diagrams and illustrations. I would welcome any comment through the Aditnow forum regarding the need for additional explanation, illustration etc. and will do my best to incorporate appropriate material.

My introduction below refers to the it not being possible to produce an overall plan of the Oakeley workings – the limitation was in printing, of course. I do have full plans, which after cleaning up and some sectionalizing to reduce the download size, I also intend to make available here.

I should particularly like to thank both my original editors at Adit Publications for all their hard work, and for their permission to make my Oakeley History available in this way, and also Simon of AditNow for providing the resources to host these documents so that they are available to the wider world.

Graham Isherwood Telford Shropshire December 2015

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LIST OF CONTENTS Current date/updated Preface List of Contents List of Figures List of Illustrations Author’s Introduction Units of Measurement PART 1 Chapter 1 Oakeley & Gloddfa Ganol Chapter 2 Wild Wales 1800-1824 Chapter 3 A Land Dispute 1820-1825 Chapter 4 The Welsh Slate Company 1825-1826 Chapter 5 Holland Vs The Company 1825-1839 Chapter 6 The 1838 Lease 1838 Chapter 7 Hollands’ Quarry 1838-1869 Chapter 8 Rhiwbryfdir Quarry 1838-1870 Chapter 9 The Welsh Slate Company Succeed 1825-1870 Chapter 10 The Quarries and The Railway 1838-1872 Chapter 11 The Paths Divide 1865-1869 Chapter 12 The Welsh Slate Company’s New Lease 1869-1870 Chapter 13 The Slippery Slope 1870-1878 Chapter 14 Oakeley and Rhiwbryfdir 1870-1882 Chapter 15 Prelude to Disaster 1878-1882 Chapter 16 Railways Again 1872-1889 Chapter 17 The Doom of the Welsh Slate Company 1883-1884 Chapter 18 The Quarries in Court 1884-1887 PART 2 Chapter 19 The Roberts Years I - 1889-1904 Chapter 20 The Roberts Years II - 1889-1904 The State of the Quarry Underground Chapter 21 Oakeley in the Spotlight - 1895 The Merionethshire Mines Inquiry Chapter 22 The Last Lease 1895-1897 Chapter 23 Two “Might Have Beens” 1895 & 1903 Chapter 24 The Roberts Years III - 1896-1903 Innovation and Experiment Chapter 25 Electrification - And After... 1904-1919 PART 3 Chapter 26 Development and Disaster I 1920-1939 Chapter 27 Whither Now? 1922-1936 Chapter 28 A Cwmorthin Interlude 1925-1939 Chapter 29 From Peace to War and Back Again 1937-1946 Chapter 30 Hope Renewed 1946-1953 Chapter 31 The Indian Summer 1953-1964 Chapter 32 Into the Darkness 1965-1970 APPENDICES Appendix A Working the Slate Appendix B Termau’r Chwarel – Quarry Terms Appendix C The Blue Hard and the Yellow Band Appendix D Cyfnod I’W Gofio – Oakeley Remembered Appendix E Original Draft Electrical Specification Appendix F Oakeley Electricity – A Commentary Appendix G From Floor to Floor – An Oakeley Tour Appendix H Tramways and Inclines Appendix I Drainage & Pumping Appendix J Mills and Machinery Appendix K Caban and Other Matters Appendix L Selected Sources

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LIST OF FIGURES Note: Figure numbers temporary and subject to revision – figures in preparation to be inserted appropriately. FIG. DATE QUARRY TITLE 0 General Symbols used on plans and diagrams (In preparation) 1 General North Wales- Blaenau Ffestiniog Location Map 1o General The Vale of Ffestiniog (In preparation) 1a 1980s General The Oakeley Quarries Site in the1980s 1b 2009 General The Oakeley Quarries Site in 2006 2 1818 General Rhiwbryfdir And the Blaenau Ffestiniog 3 1826-36 General Slate Quarries at Rhiwbryfdir as depicted in James Spooner’s Maps 4 1835-38 F.R. Proposed Inclined Planes from F.R. to Rhiwbryfdir by J Spooner 5 1835-38 F.R. Re-arrangement of F.R. Termination at Rhiwbryfdir 6 1830s General Quarries & Tramways at Rhiwbryfdir 7 1838 F.R. & Hollands’ Conjectural Plan of Original Incline Connection 8 1838 Welsh Slate Co. The Welsh Slate Company’s Lease Plan (Whole Plan) 8a 1838 Hollands’ Quarry Leasehold shown by W.S.Co. Lease Plan 8b 1838 W.S.Co. Leasehold shown by their Lease Plan 8c 1838 Rhiwbryfdir Quarry Leasehold shown by W.S.Co. Lease Plan 9 1850 Hollands’ Quarry Provisional Surface Features, Inclines & Tramways 10 1870s F.R. Quarries & Tramways at Rhiwbryfdir 11 1859 Hollands’ Quarry Open & Quarry Workings according to C.E.Spooner 12 1865-67 W.S.Co. Proposals for Removing Walls A3, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 13 1866 W.S.Co. Sketch of Proposal for ‘Cupboarding’ 14 1868 W.S.Co. Sketch of Proposal for Wider Chambers in the ‘Back’ Vein 15 1868-70 Rhiwbryfdir Slate Co. Open Workings (C.E.Spooner) 15a 1855 Rhiwbryfdir Slate Co. Mathews’ Dresser 16 1869-70 W.S.Co. A Might Have Been - after the Walls Removal Proposals 17 1870 Hollands’ Quarry Surface Workings according to C.E.Spooner 18 1870 Hollands’ Quarry Water Balance Inclines in the Back Vein 19 1870 Hollands’ Quarry Underground Workings - East (C.E.Spooner) 20 1870 Hollands’ Quarry Underground Workings - West (C.E.Spooner) 21 1870 Rhiwbryfdir Slate Co. Dressing Mill Floor 5 (C.E.Spooner) 22 1870 Rhiwbryfdir Slate Co. Back Vein Workings (C.E.Spooner) 23 1870 Rhiwbryfdir Slate Co. Underground Workings in the Old Vein 24 1870 W.S.Co. Main Surface Tramways & Inclines 25 1870 W.S.Co. Eastern Workings (C.E.Spooner) 26 1870 W.S.Co. Western Workings (C.E.Spooner) 27 1870 W.S.Co.. & F.R. Rhiwbryfdir & Glanydon - Penybont 28 1870’s General Sections on Chambers 12 and 14 29 1870’s General Section on Chambers 3 and 9 29a 1870s W.S.Co. Turbine Pump 30 1870’s W.S.Co. Robert Owen’s Theories 31 1870’s W.S.Co. Sketch to Show Inclination of Pillaring & Effect with Depth 32 1870’s W.S.Co. Sketch to Show Effect of Pillaring on Laying out of Workings 33 1874 All Twr Babl & Surface Boundaries (T. Jones Surveys) 34 1874 Hollands’ Quarry Back Vein Open Workings & Tan-yr -Allt 35 1874-76 Welsh Slate Co. Eastern Workings (Showing line of fall of 1876) 36 1875-75 Welsh Slate Co. Plan of a New Lifting Power 36a 1875-78 General To get the heart out of the mountain and leave the rest to the devil 37 1876-88 Cwmorthin Quarry Part of G.H.Jones’ Plan of Cwmorthin Slate Co. Ltd. 38 1880’s O.S.Q.Co. Lower Quarry General Cross Section Of Lower Quarry East 39 1882 O.S.Q.Co. Middle Quarry Eastern Back Vein Workings showing Twll Clai 39a 1880s W.S.Co. Cross Section of Chamber A5 and Wall 1 39b 1870s Holland and Rhiwbryfdir To get the Heart out of the Mountain…. 40 1882-84 Welsh Slate Co. Eastern Workings (Showing Inclines & Falls) 40a W.S.Co. Cross section of chamber A5 and wall 1 41 1882-87 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. New Floor Workings (Floors 10 - 12 -Latterly 14-16) 42 1883 O.S.Q.Co. Robert Robert’s Sketch of the Great Fall 42a 1883-84 W.S.Co. The Great Fall based on Brunton & Hughes survey 43 1884 O.S.Q.Co. & Cwmorthin Disputed Territory I - Old Vein South 44 1886 O.S.Q.Co. Sketch Plan of The Great Fall - Extent of Subsidence 45 1887 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Surface Features, Inclines & Tramways - 4 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

46 1887 Welsh Slate Co. Main Inclines (C-DE-F-G-H-I-K) 47 1887 Welsh Slate Co. Main Vein Incline Connections (I-K-L) 48 1887-88 Welsh Slate Co. Surface Tramways & Inclines 49 1888 F.R. Penybont & Quarry Connections 49a 1880s General Quarries and Tramways at Rhiwbryfdir 50 1889 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Surface Features, Inclines & Tramways 51 1889 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Detail at Incline Head 52 1889 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Detail plan of Holland’s Lower Mill complex “Felin Isaf” 53 1889 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Sketch of Single Acting Water Balance Incline 54 1880- O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy Detail plan of Holland’s Upper Mill complex “Felin Uchaf” 55 1880 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Detail Plan of No.2 Mill “Felin Fach” 56 1868 - W/S.Co. Sketch of DE to G Water Balance Incline 57 1880 - W.S.Co. Detail plan of Pen y Bont Mills 58 - Penrhyn Quarry Sketch of Vertical Water Balance Shaft Foot arrangements 59 1825-1878 Hollands’ Quarry Hollands’ Quarry Output Graph 59a 1825-1888 Welsh Slate Company’s Output Graph 59b 1838-1878 Rhiwbryfdir Co. Rhiwbryfdir Company Output Graph 59c 1878-1885 O.S.Q.Co. Oakeley Output Graph 60 1889-90 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Proposals for new Pumping Shaft and Drainage Level 61 1889-90 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Plan & Section showing Pumping Shaft & Drainage Level 62 1889-90 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. New Vein Workings under Inclen Fawr 63 1890 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Dewintons’ Plan for Pwmp Mawr - I 64 1890 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Dewintons’ Plan for Pwmp Mawr – II 64a 1890 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Dewintons’ Plan for Pwmp Mawr – Engine detail 65 1890 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Plan of Bonc Coedan New Mill 66 1892 O.S.Q.Co. Sinc Fawr - The Great Fall Clearance 67 1892-96 O.S.Q.Co. Plan of Proposed Inclines at Back of Bon (Twr Babl & Ffridd) 68 1892-96 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Development of the Arches Incline 69 1894-98 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Development of K Floor Incline - I 70 1895 O.S.Q.Co. Plan of Twr Babl 71 1895 O.S.Q.Co. Plan of Thomas Jones’ Proposed Untopping 72 1895 O.S.Q.Co. Typical Section of Thomas Jones’ Proposed Untopping 73 1895 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. C & DE Floor New Vein Eastern Workings Under the C Incline 74 1895 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Steam Incline - Inclen Fawr 75 1895-98 O.S.Q.Co. Plan & Section of Ffridd (Mountain) Incline 76 1896 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. DE to F Inclines & Stairways avoiding Fall Route Chambers 14/ 20 77 1896 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. North Old Vein Workings - East 78 1898 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. North Old Vein Workings - West 79 1898- O.S.Q.Co. Ffridd & Twr Babl Surface Features, Inclines & Tramways 80 1898-1906 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Chamber 9 Electric Incline 81 1899 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Easton & Anderson’s Plan for the Chamber 9 Electric Incline 82 1899-1914 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Development of K Floor Incline - II 83 1900 Cwmorthin Quarry D.Pritchard’s Plan of the N.W.S.Co.’s. Property for Auction 84 1900 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Ingersoll-Sergeant Steam Driven Air Compressor 85 1900 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Twr Babl Incline Buildings 86 1900 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Ffridd Incline Buildings 87 1900 O.S.Q.Co. U & M. Qys. Surface Features, Tramways & Inclines of Mill areas. 88 1900 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Old Vein Sinc showing Surface Features - Floors 6-10 89 1900’s O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Hollands Lower Mill - Felin Holland Isaf 90 1900’s O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Hollands Upper Mill - Felin Holland Uchaf 91 1900’s O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Hollands Barracks (in preparation) 92 1900? O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Proposal(?) To Electrify DE-G Water Balance Incline 93 1902 O.S.Q.Co. Cwmorthin Quarry 94 1903-04 General Plan of Proposed Ffestiniog Quarries Deep Level Drainage Schemes 95 1903-04 General Sections of Proposed Deep Level Drainage Schemes 96 1905 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Dinas Incline Tramway Track Layout Proposals 97 1906 O.S.Q.Co. 200 HP Bruce Peebles BS90 Incline Haulage Motor 98 1906 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. No. 1 Sub-Station 99 1906-08 North Wales Power Co. Promotional Map 100 1906-26 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Arches Incline Connections 101 1906-60 O.S.Q.Co. 200 HP Incline Motor Switchgear 102 1906-60 O.S.Q.Co. 200 HP Incline Motor Liquid Starter 103 1906-69 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. C Incline - K Trwnc Sidings - 5 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

104 1908 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Worthington Centrifugal Pump 105 1908 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. ‘Old’ Sulzer Pump 106 1908 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Section of Main 6-Road Incline Drum House 107 1909-19 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Goedan - Tramway Layout 108 1910 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Proposed Incline in Chamber 21 New Vein - Plan 109 1910 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Proposed Incline in Chamber 21 New Vein - Section 110 1910 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. New Vein Workings under Sinc Fach 111 1912 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Siafft - Tramway Layout 112 1912-20 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. North & South Old Vein in Pre-Peak Open Quarry Days 113 1917 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Percy Jones’ Section along Line of Chamber 38 114 1920-30 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Floor 5 New Vein Workings 115 1920-40 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. North Vein Workings on Floor G 116 1921 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Section of K3 Incline - Yr Hen Inclen 117 1922 O.S.Q.Co. Old GlanyPwll Quarry 118 1922 O.S.Q.Co. Plan of Proposed New Office (Bonc Goedan) 119 1922 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Main Surface Incline (Inclen Fawr) 120 1922 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. No.5 Incline Middle Quarry - Bonc Coedan 121 1922 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Details of No.5 Incline Buildings (In preparation) 122 1922-26 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Floor 11 New Vein and Connections to the GlanyPwll Quarry 123 1923 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Proposed Extension of Floor 8-10 Incline to Floor 11 124 1924 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Ingersoll-Rand Imperial 10XB Air Compressor 125 1925-39 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. New Vein Workings on Floors G & H 126 1927 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The Peak Quarry 127 1927-29/39 O.S.Q.Co. 500 Volts Low Tension System/High Tension Supply 128 1929 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. New Turgo Turbine for Pwmp Mawr 129 1929-35 O.S.Q.Co. Tan yr Allt Drainage Scheme 130 1930 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Cross-Section through Chamber 11 New Vein 131 1930-50 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Pen Balance Area Surface Features, Tramways & Inclines 132 1932-34 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Dinas Tramway Scheme 133 1933 O.S.Q.Co. Pyrene Foam Dust Suppression Equipment 134 1933-39 O.S.Q.Co. Cwmorthin Qy. Back Vein Developments 135 1934-39 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The Chamber 34 Incline & Connections 136 1934-50 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. K Floor North & Back Vein Workings 137 1935 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Air Compressors 138 1936 Cwmorthin Quarry Feeder Tramway from F.R. Tanygrisiau 139 1936-60 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. New Vein Workings West I 140 1937 O.S.Q.Co. Cwmorthin Qy. Old Vein Connections 141 1939 Cwmorthin Quarry Composite Surface Feature Plan 142 1939 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Section of K2 Incline, Inclen Newydd 143 1939 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Penybont Area Surface Features, Tramways & Incline 144 1945 O.S.Q.Co. An Early Diamond Saw Proposal 145 1945 O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Percy Jones’ Sketch from Quarry Gate 146 1945-70 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The Bottom Floors Q & R, New Vein 147 1949 O.S.Q.Co. Dust Extraction Arrangements at C Mill 148 1950 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. L Floor Pumps & Water Storage 149 1950-60’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Glanydon - Penybont Surface Features, Tramways & Inclines 150 1950-60’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Goedan-Bonc Siafft Surface Features, Tramways & Inclines 151 1950-60’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The Arches and the ‘Big Boulder’ 152 1950-60’s O.S.Q.Co. U & M Qys Surface Features, Tramways & Inclines 153 1950-70 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Central New Vein Workings Floors K-P 154 1950-70 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Western New Vein Workings Floors G-M 155 1950-70 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Eastern New Vein Workings Floors G-N 156 1950-70 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Western New Vein Workings II Floors 3-F 157 1950-70 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Western New Vein Workings I Floors 1-F 158 1951-52 General B.E.A. Cwmorthin Proposals Ffestiniog H-E Scheme 159 1952 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The Peak Quarry - Surface and Underground 160 1955-70 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Goedan Incline Tramways 161 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. K Trwnc Incline Carriage 162 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Main Underground Inclines (K2, K3 & P6) 163 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. C Incline Drum & Motor House Elevations 164 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. C Incline Drum & Motor House Plan 165 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Coedan Mill 166 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Siafft New Mill - Felin Newydd - 6 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

167 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Bonc Siafft Old Mill - Hen Felin 168 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. The Slab Mill 169 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. The ‘Small’ or No.2 Mill - Felin Fach 170 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. The ‘Large’ or No.1 Mill - Felin Fawr 170a 1960’s O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Middle Quarry trackwork 171 1980’s General Oakeley & Cwmorthin Quarries Site 172 1985 Ffestiniog Slate Co. DE & G Tunnels (Lefel Galed & Lefel Dwr) 173 1986 Ffestiniog Slate Co. Extent of Workings in Old Peak Quarry 174 1986 Gloddfa Ganol Floor Five Mine Walk 175 1986 Gloddfa Ganol Landrover & Caplamp Safari Tour on Floor 11 176 1987 Gloddfa Ganol Main Site Surface Features 1890- O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Details of Ffridd Incline buildings (In preparation) 1890- O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Details of Twr Babl Incline buildings (In preparation) 1928- O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Details of No. 3 Substation building (In preparation) 1950- O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Plan and section of P-Q-R-Incline (In preparation) 1870 Holland’s Quarry Underground water balance inclines (In preparation) - General Typical arrangement of clutched drum winding gear (In preparation) 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. K Trwnc cross-section (In preparation) 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. K Trwnc Headgear and gates (In preparation) 1870 Holland’s Quarry Upper mill site building identification (In preparation) 1870 Holland’s Quarry The Round House (In preparation) 1890s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Pwmp Mawr- final arrangement (In preparation) 1890s O.S.Q.Co. U.Qy. Locoshed/Smithy (In preparation) 1860s W.S.Co. C-bank water balance drum house (In preparation) 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Details of “Arches” Incline and compressor house (In preparation) 1960 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Details of Bonc Siafft Old Mill (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Various Buildings at Lower Mills site (In preparation) 1880s W.S.Co. PenyBont Office & Incline drum house (In preparation) 1905 O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. Spion Kop Incline drum house (In preparation) 1960s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. PenyBont Locoshed, lamp store and weigh house (In preparation) - General Slate planer (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Details of Large cottages/barracks (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Details of weigh house, incline drum house (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Details of barracks (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Dinas Inclen Fawr (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry TanyrAllt cottages (In preparation) 1870s Holland’s Quarry Smithy (In preparation) 1873 W.S.Co. Proposed hydraulic pumping shaft (In preparation) 1960s O.S.Q.Co. L.Qy. The “Big Dam underground (In preparation) 1905 O.S.Q.Co. M.Qy. Dinas Incline drum house (In preparation) 1864 W.S.Co. Underground inclines (In preparation) O.S.Q. L.Qy. Typical Underground Bridge – Floor 3 New Vein W.S.Co./L.Qy. Bont Goch I W.S.Co./L.Qy. Bont Goch II 1905 O.S.Q. M.Qy. Bruce Peebles 200HP Winding Motor – Original Blueprint Arrgt 1906 O.S.Q. L.Qy. Bruce Peebles 75HP Controller and switch – Original Blueprint 1905 O.S.Q. L.Qy. Bruce Peebles 75HP Motor for K Floor Engine 1930s? O.S.Q. L.Qy. Proposed Hydrautomat pump in old Vertical Shaft 1960 O.S.Q. M.Qy. Details of 6-road incline head 1838 General Cross Section to explain limit levels etc. of Lease Holland’s Quarry Another smithy

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LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS Title Source 1 Aerial View of the Oakeley Quarries in the 1950’s (Covers) [Caban] 2 Oakeley Quarries from Cribau/Ffridd above Llechwedd 1889 [GG] 3 Samuel Holland Junior [GA]* 4 William Edward Oakeley [GA]* 5 Contemporary illustration of Hollands’ Early Chambers and Pillars – looking West [GG] 6 –do- and looking East ca. 1850 [GG] 7 Old Buildings and Cutting South of Hollands’ Lower Mill 1976 8 The Bastion – Site of Hollands Slab Mill in 1976 9 Entrance to Hollands Lefel Fawr in tourist days 1980’s 10 Hollands’ Lefel Fawr – Junction at Eastern End 1980’s looking east 11 Hollands’ Lefel fawr – Junction at Eastern End 1980’s looking west 12 Hollands’ Lefel fawr floodlit along its length for tourists in the 1980’s 13 Tourists stroll along Lefel Fawr – the Limit Level Tunnel 14 Lefel fawr in 1976 – before “improvements” for tourists 15 Hollands’ Quarry – Old Vein – Ca. 1870 [GA]* 16 Hollands’ Quarry – Back Vein – Ca. 1870 [GA]* 18 Hollands’ Floor 9 (Oakeley 13) Drumhouse rear in 1976 19 –do – from front 20 Hollands’ “New” Upper Mill Ruins in 1976 21 Hollands’ New Mill Engine House in 1976 22 Hollands’ Floor 5 reservoir and pre 1870 incline behind the Upper Mills Site 1976 23 The Old Upper Mill site in 1976 24 Hollands’ Lower Mill in 1976 viewed from Floor 8 to Floor 5 Incline 25 – do- viewed from above Lefel Fawr 26 Hollands’ Roundhouse in 1884 [GA]* 27 –do- in 1984 28 Hollands Bastion Slab Mill Site showing old wheelpit discharge 29 Hollands’ Lower Mill 1976 viewed from the Middle Quarry Tip 30 An 1856 Matthews dresser emerges from the rubble at Votty 31 The ruins of Matthews Felin Fawr at Gloddfa Ganol in 1976 32 Contrast in Mill Design – Hollands’ Lower Mill dressing windows – Matthews dressers 33 –do- Rhiwbryfdir Small Mill – Greaves dressers [BP] 34 A Greaves’ Patent timber framed dressing machine at Gloddfa Ganol 1976 35 The only known photo of a Matthews original 1856 Dresser – Braich Goch 1900 [NLW]* 36 Matthews patent dresser for “Fancy Slates” 1975 37 –do- 38 Dumped Greaves’ timber framed dressers at Bonc Siafft 1976 39 Inclines Galore – Rhiwbryfdir and Welsh Slate Co. Inclines at Penybont Ca. 1874 [NLW]* 40 The Welsh Slate Co. Viaduct and the Festiniog Railway Ca. 1874 from Llechwedd [FR] 41 Hollands’ Inclen fawr at Dinas post 1879 [GG] 42 The Bastion and Hollands’ Lower Mill viewed from Dinas Chapel n.d. [GA]* 43 Rhiwbryfdir ca. 1879 – The LNWR under construction [NLW]* 44 Coloured ink drawing of the Welsh Slate Co. Viaduct in its original form. [WG/GG] 45 Remains of Ex-Welsh Slate Co.’s G water balance tanks in 1980 46 –do- 47 Remains of the Cast Iron Columns of Bont Goch at Lefel dwr 1980 48 –do- 49 Bonc Siafft Ca. 1890 viewed from Ffridd. [GG] 50 Ex-Welsh Slate CO. Timber yard and Warehouse, TalyWaenydd, Ca. 1890 [GG] 51 Distant view of the Ex-Welsh Slate Co.’s Vertical Water Balance ca. 1906 [BP] 52 The Ex-Welsh Slate Co.’s Vertical Water Balance Headgear during dismantling ca. 1930 [GG] 53 Penrhyn Quarry’s Vertical Water Balance “Sebastopol” [GA] 54 Water Balance chain 55 Penybont Mill, Welsh Slate Co. n.d. [Caban] 56 Bonc Siafft Mill in the 1980’s 57 Remains of the Welsh Slate Co.s 1856 Water Balance Incline on C Bank 1975 - 8 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction

Title Source 58 –do- viewed from Gloddfa Ganol 1975 59 The Victors ? Oakeley Quarry Staff in the 1890’s [Caban] 60 Some of the workforce. [Caban] 61 Penybont – The LNWR Wharf and entrance to Lefal Dwr 1976 62 Entrance to Lefal Dwr 1976 63 Inside Lefal Dwr Entrance looking south 1980 64 Inside Lefal Dwr Entrance looking towards Quarry 1980 65 Rhiwbrfydir’s Limit Level Tunnel At the Sinc End – Looking to entrance 1980 66 Rhiwbrfydir’s Limit Level Tunnel At the Sinc End – 2 nd Entrance 1980 67 Rhiwbrfydir’s Limit Level Tunnel – Looking towards Dinas 1 68 Rhiwbrfydir’s Limit Level Tunnel – Looking towards Dinas 2 69 W.S.Co.’s “Horse Tunnel” Lefal Galed Sinc End Looking North towards Sinc 1980 70 W.S.Co.’s “Horse Tunnel” Lefal Galed Sinc End Looking South towards Penybont 1980 71 Welsh Slate Co.’s “Horse Tunnel” Lefal Galed TypicalView looking South 1980 72 Welsh Slate Co.’s Lefal Dwr showing 1895 Turbine pipes 1980’s 73 Welsh Slate Co.’s Vertical Water Balance Shaft, looking up to surface 1980’s 74 Foot of the Welsh Slate CO.’s Vertical Balance Shaft on G floor 1980’s 75 Ex-W.S.Co. 1861 Incline Drumhouse at Penybont 1976 76 View down Ex-W.S.Co. 1861 Incline at Penybont 1976 77 Ruins of Penybont Mill – Old Weigh house and end wall 1976 78 Ruins of Penybont Mill – Exit from lowlevel waste tramway. 1976 79 Ex-Welsh Slate Co.’s DE Floor viewed from above C Floor 1890’s GA* 80 Hollands’ barracks Behind Old Mill Floor 8 1976 81 Hollands’ 2 nd . barracks – a rear view overlooking Sinc 1976 82 Hollands’ 2 nd . Barracks – front view 1976 83 Restored Rhiwbryfdir Quarry cottages at Gloddfa Ganol 1980’s 84 Evelyn Ashley [NPG]* 85 Lord Palmerston 86 W.F. Cowper-Temple [SL]* 87 C.E.Spooner [C.E.Lee]* 88 Welsh Slate Co.’s Locomotive “Mole” on the Wharf at Portmadoc [FR]*

Note: !. *indicates illustrations omitted from the web version for copyright reasons. 2. This was the provisional list for part 1, it will be amended and lists for parts 2 and 3 will be added in due course. 3. There is heavy bias in favour of illustrations of the Upper Quarry (Holland’s Quarry) in part 1 as it is the part of the quarry in which old features survived longest – it’s greatest activity also took place during the period under review, and in later times diminished rapidly. Correspondingly, illustrations of the Middle and Lower Quarries predominate in the later parts of this work.

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PERSONAL INTRODUCTION

My father was a Planning Officer in the old Lancashire County Council and on the re-organisation of Local Government he was re-deployed to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council from where he subsequently retired.

As a child, my world was full of maps and plans. My father used to take me with him every Saturday morning “to the office” where I would happily draw on the multi-coloured papers, play with the hole punches or even, if I was especially good, be allowed to play with the typewriters and the telephone exchange. The office had an ancient creaking lift, which I could ride in as a treat - it was actually faster to walk up the stairs. Whenever we could, we went out “on inspection” and my father would take a selection of his files with us. We would tour “his” territory while he looked at the sites of planning applications and made his notes, and inevitably we would end up at a pub somewhere on the way home where he would have a Guinness and I would have a packet of crisps in the car. I coloured in maps and drew pictures on the back of them. Discarded maps were my painting canvas and obsolete office stationary my paper darts. Small wonder that I grew up with a love of maps and diagrams and a desire to understand what they represented.

It was in my late teens that I read James Boyd’s narrow gauge books and learned about the Festiniog and Welsh Highland Railways as well as the industries which had spawned them. Intrigued by the resurgence of the Narrow Gauge Railways, my father and I began longer and longer forays from our holiday accommodation at Kinmel Bay, near Rhyl, to find them. My mother, although not very interested, vaguely remembered her experiences of the Festiniog in the 1930s when she had been walking in Wales and they had been taken by main line train firstly to Blaenau Ffestiniog and then by the Ffestiniog itself to Tan y Bwlch, where they walked up onto the ridge and gazed on Cnicht before returning for tea. She also remembered being taken to a slate mill with its screeching saws.

The railways were interesting, yes, but James Boyd’s books were full of little track plans and quarry branches and tantalising glimpses. What really crystallised it was one year when my father took up an invitation he had been given through his work to visit the Penmaenmawr Granite Quarries. Abandoned narrow gauge tracks abounded, there were inclines, tips, ancient machinery (I remember a DC Ruston excavator, its 10,000 volt cable snaking across the quarry floor!), crushers, belt driven compressors and much more. I was hooked. We saw an advert in the paper saying that the Penrhyn Quarry was open to the public - we phoned up and went along, touring the cutting sheds and getting a glimpse of the workings. All their railways had gone, but the industry was fascinating.

Then Llechwedd, in Blaenau, opened its doors as Quarry Tours and I was increasingly aware of a whole new world of quarry maps and plans. The publication of the seminal “Rhosydd Quarry” by M J T Lewis gave me at last a technical insight into what the slate mines were all about.

In 1974 Gloddfa Ganol, on the old Oakeley Quarry site, opened to the public as the Ffestiniog Mountain Centre and we, naturally, went along for a look. The tiny “grotto” seemed a pale and childish imitation of Llechwedd, but the museum overlooking the open workings housed the most fascinating, complicated and almost incomprehensible maps I had ever seen. Surreptitiously I photographed the easiest one to see. Jean Lindsay’s History of the North Wales Slate Industry went home with me, and while it was fascinating, where were the maps, diagrams and above all photographs to explain it all? At home I enlarged my photographs of Gloddfa’s map and stared at it in amazement. Here was a spider’s web of tramways, inclines and, wonder of wonder, the details of the workings.

In Easter 1975 my father and I hired a caravan at Porthmadog and I started to investigate the quarries in earnest. At first I thought of nothing more than an album of pictures, a book like many of the railway titles I had seen. A brief perusal of the resources in Gwynedd Archives at Dolgellau and Caernarfon showed that there were many photographs and other quarry documents there which could prove useful. I had already corresponded with Wil Roberts, Gloddfa Ganol’s proprietor, over the incredible map, and he seemed amused by my suggestions that a copy would surely be safer on public display than the original - I wanted a copy for myself, of course.

So, one fateful Easter day, I set out from Porthmadog to catch the bus up to Blaenau, the mist was down when I arrived, and I climbed up through the cloud and Votty to ice and snow at Maenofferen. From there I wandered across the moor above Llechwedd and eventually made my way down to the main road before trekking back up again to the Gloddfa Ganol entrance. The sun broke through the cloud and I introduced myself to Wil, who was on the gate. I explained my ideas for a picture book and he looked around him. “I think there’s enough here for a book on it’s own” he said. That was it, we talked of nothing else for a long time and I went away with an outline, not for the full history - that was to come later - but for something more than a Guide Book to explain about the quarry.

So was born “Candles to Caplamps” my technical description of the methods of slate mining and dressing and began my long association with Gloddfa Ganol. I worked on the history of the Oakeley Quarries, I traced, drew and re-drew the maps, I “advised” Wil on what was shown on the old maps and where both he and the Ffestiniog Slate Company were - 10 - Oakeley Slate – Contents and Introduction working. After he and I explored the accessible New Vein workings on Floor 5 and they became a public underground tour, I produced a small guidebook for it entitled “A Walk into the Slate Mountain.” I designed a slate tablet Viewpoint, designed and created display materials and became his unofficial Quarry Historian. I met up with others similarly interested, and was introduced to Michael Lewis and the Industrial Archaeology courses at Plas Tan y Bwlch. I cannot thank them enough, him in particular and the many members of the courses that I have met, talked to and corresponded with over the years; they have enriched my life.

My father made many friends amongst my contacts and the older men who worked at the quarry and certainly enjoyed some of the strange adventures our long suffering Austin Maxis endured. I remember well the time we took one of them down to the bottom of the quarry pit to see Wil, down rutted tracks really suitable only for excavators and over sharp jagged slate ends which cut thick rubber to shreds. We managed it (and back again). Life goes on, and things change. My father has long since passed away, even Gloddfa Ganol has gone, but my life now has many other dimensions, more so than at any time in the past.

So, due to the demands of work, of old family commitments, marriage and new family responsibilities, here, many years after my well-meant beginnings, is my version of the Oakeley history. It is the story of development over more than one and a half centuries, the eventual closure and the re-birth of the vast Oakeley Slate Quarries at Rhiwbryfdir, Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is the story in part of the men, proprietors, engineers, rockmen and miners, and their struggle to wrest the slate rock from the heart of the mountain, Allt Fawr. Above all, it is the story of the mountain itself, an entity whose capriciousness the men came to know and which exacted severe penalties on the careless or the downright foolish. It is also the story of the techniques and machines with which the men sought to convert the raw rock into smooth and durable roofing material, billiard tables and a hundred and one other purposes.

This story cannot be described as an academic history, for it is a personal view of the quarries seen from my own particular interests. If, therefore, it is lacking, as I acknowledge it is, in the fine details of the financing of the quarries, in the details of the lives of the men, in the complexities of the methods and rates of pay, and in comparing the industry with other industries of the same period, then the fault is mine. I leave it to others, far more able than I to tackle these esoteric issues. There is certainly plenty of material for them to work at in the archives. I have stuck to those areas I feel most comfortable with: the mountain, the workings, the machines and the technology. To the sociologist I have left the community, there is study enough in that for many a lifetime. I have tried to use, wherever possible, primary sources; quarry letter books, reports, maps and plans together with actual site work. Where this has not proved possible, for one reason or another, I have taken what seems to me to be the most reasonable interpretation of the secondary evidence available. In all cases, the final responsibility for any interpretation is mine and I will always be grateful for any correction, which can be backed up by factual evidence. In several cases where my descriptions of events vary from previously published or reported accounts, I can only say that I believe mine are correct in the light of available knowledge.

This is an overview of a massive undertaking, both in terms of sheer size; ultimately comprising over 800 acres of land, at least 50 miles of tunnels and levels, a site nearly a mile wide and covering 1700 feet in depth of working, and of time; some 150 years from its beginning in 1818 to its closure in 1969/70.

Even within the limits I have set myself, the volume of information which has become available on the Oakeley Quarries will be apparent. It was therefore necessary to split the story up into three parts for publication:

Part One deals with the historical narrative up to the Great Fall of 1882-1883. Part Two covers the period after the Great Fall up to World War 2 Part Three covers the years from World War 2 up to closure and developments since then.

As well as the actual historical narrative, appendices give descriptions of the quarry over the years as described in Caban, the quarry magazine of the 1950s and other sources, the detailed descriptions of the technology of the quarries, the methods of work, the mechanisms and machinery, sources of power, the drainage systems, dressing mills, inclines and other essential services that made up the quarry, together with further extracts from Caban.

This could never have been done at all, had it not been for the consistent and unremitting support of Mr. W. (Wil) Roberts, now regrettably passed away, the proprietor of Gloddfa Ganol and director of the Ffestiniog Slate Company as they then were. Plans, documents, technical advice and the facilities to explore all that Gloddfa Ganol and the Ffestiniog Slate Company could offer of the old Oakeley Quarry were made freely available and very gratefully used. Mention must also be made of the staff of the Gwynedd Archives Offices at Dolgellau and Caernarfon, the custodians of the bulk of the surviving Oakeley Quarries Company records with thanks for their patient and professional assistance.

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Next must come the people of Blaenau itself, without whose labour and that of their forbears, the Oakeley Quarries themselves would never have existed, and whose encouragement and interest, especially in the old photographs of the quarries and quarrymen provided much hard fact and inspiration. To Dr. Michael Lewis, author of the inspirational Rhosydd Quarry, Rodney Weaver and Ross Harrison must go much of the credit for changing a young enthusiast into the “king of the slate mine nutters”, as one irreverent writer dubbed me, although Michael tried very hard to restrain my more fanciful interpretations of both history and physical evidence. I am indebted to Michael for much more than can be written here, he has been unstinting in his kindness by passing on to me any and all references he found in his own research work, which had a bearing on the Oakeleys. Both Ross and Rodney increased tremendously my appreciation of mechanical and electrical history and without whom this work would be very much thinner. Neither can I ignore the assistance of the late Gwynfor Pierce Jones, the native historian of the Nantlle valley quarries, who personally ensured that certain Oakeley records got to the archives rather than be destroyed by weather and fire, and that at a time when interest in quarry history was in its infancy. These are the principals, but there were and are many others both in Blaenau and on courses at Plas Tan y Bwlch over the years, and I am very grateful to them all for their help, comments and criticism. Space, and my poor memory precludes mentioning them all, but if I name, finally, two more of Blaenau’s people, I hope the rest will not be offended by their omission.

Gerald (Geraint) Griffiths, one time slate miner at Votty & Bowydd and Maenofferen tried valiantly to ensure that at least one “saeson” understood the methods of slate mining and got the names right, and Thomas Roberts, Twm Mawr, the last of Oakeley’s securers, whose encyclopaedic memory of the workings enriched many of the plans and diagrams produced here.

The maps and plans, which accompany this work, have mainly been specially prepared from original material. The source maps and plans were drawn to a variety of scales, principally 50ft. to the inch, 66ft. to the inch – known as “Chain Scale” – along with the 25in. to the mile and 50in. to the mile scales used by the Ordnance Survey. The sheer size of the undertaking has unfortunately prevented a single outline plan being produced. These have been adjusted as necessary for reprographic purposes. I am particularly indebted to Mr. E.H.Tabbenor of Wardell Armstrong & Co. Etruria, Stoke on Trent, now also passed on, who was the last surveyor of Oakeley, for supplying copies of the final Oakeley plans. It must be emphasised again that the various maps and plans are for illustrative purposes only, and that they do not convey or imply any rights of access whatsoever to the lands or workings depicted in them. The quarry is an exceedingly dangerous place and I and the publishers hereby disclaim any responsibility for the actions of readers or others.

I take this opportunity to dedicate this work in memory firstly to my mother, who walked Wales’ hills and valleys long before I was born, and who imparted her love of the country to her son, and secondly, but no less, to my late father, who put up with a great deal in our wanderings for my research with no complaint, but whose prediction that he would not live to see its publication regrettably came true. Finally, I should like to thank my wife Marion, and our daughter Holly, who have put up with “that Quarry stuff of yours” for quite long enough without seeing any outcome from it. Graham Isherwood, Telford, Shropshire, 2015.

Note on Units of Measurement Imperial or Metric

All measurements and financial transactions were, naturally, recorded/conducted using the old imperial units. To avoid littering the text with conversions, but, with posterity in mind, the following notes are made: 12" (in, inches) = 1' (ft, foot) 3ft = 1yd (yard) 1in = 2.54cm 1ft = 0.305m 1yd = 0.914m 1m = 1.094yd 1m = 3.281ft 30ft = 9.15m 40ft = 12.2m 200ft = 61.0m To convert feet to metres multiply by 0.305 1 square yard = 0.836 square metres 1 cubic yard = 0.764 cubic metres 1 ton = 20 hundredweights (cwt) 1 cwt = 112 pounds (lb) 1 cwt = 4 quarters (qtr) 1 ton = 1.016 tonne (1016 kg)

A pre-decimal pound consisted of 20s (shillings) and each shilling had 12d (pennies).

For monetary values a straightforward conversion is meaningless as the value of a pound was worth considerably more in years gone by. During the period covered by this volume values fluctuated quite considerably and between 1818 and 1887 a modern pound could be worth anything between £46 and £74. Unlike modern times inflation was followed by deflation and hence the equivalent value of the pound goes both up and down. To get values for important dates in the history of the quarry one can take an average of the five years centred on the particular year in question.

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For example: In 1887 a modern £ might be worth £70 (during a stable period of values)

Source: House of Commons Research Paper No 99/20: Inflation: the Value of the Pound 1750 – 1998, Robert Twigger.

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