YSTRAD MEURIG TALK 1
Graham Levins Hon. Secretary Welsh Mines Preservation Trust
All photographs by Graham Levins unless separately acknowledged.
Thank you for inviting me to come and talk to you about some aspects of the metal mining industry in this part of Wales.
Firstly let me introduce myself, my name is Graham Levins, I was born in London, I have lived for the last 45 years in Sussex, in my working life I am a Railway Signalman.
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I first came to Wales in 1973 and fell in love with the country, I have spent several weekends each year and many holidays here ever since. During that first visit I happened to drive over the mountain road from Rhayader to Cwmystwyth and discovered the mine ruins there.
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Since then I have been researching the history of the metal mines in Mid Wales, exploring them at first on the surface and then underground.
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In 1993 I became a founder member of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust, later I was invited to become a director, then in 2002 I became the Honorary Secretary of the Trust. Each year I arrange several weekends undertaking various projects at mines in the area, also each summer I run a Heritage Weekend of walks and talks in Ceredigion. For the last four years the Trust has been working closely with Ceredigion County Council’s “Spirit of the Miner’s” project and it’s replacement PLWM. MNING AT PONTRHYDYGROES 8 9
I am now going to tell you the history of the famous Level Fawr in Pontrhydygroes, the longest drainage tunnel driven in Mid Wales which took 87 years to complete, illustrated with photographs taken during my underground explorations of the level and its connected workings.
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Whilst there were in the region of 30 mines in the area around the village, the largest and most productive mines were located to the southeast, the main ones being Logaulas, Glogfach and Glogfawr; and to the west at Frongoch. Between 1834 & 1893 these were collectively known as the Lisburne Mines. This talk will concentrate on the mines to the southeast.
The lease for Logaulas was taken over in 1785, by a Shrewsbury man John Probert, he had 50 men at work and workings were at a depth of 70 fathoms, (a fathom is 6 feet, this measurement is traditionally used in Mid Wales mines as the preferred unit of measurement). At this time water was raised from the mine in barrels either by manpower or by the use of a horse whim. After consulting with several people including James Watt in Birmingham, it was decided that the solution lay in the construction of a deep drainage level, rather than the use of steam engines, mainly due to the cost of importing coal. Very few mines in Mid Wales used steam engines as main means of motive power; most were installed for use when the water supply was interrupted during times of drought or frost.
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One item remains from John Probert’s time in Pontrhydygroes; a Bill of Lading (consignment note) for 55 tons of Lead Ore from Frongoch and Esgair Mwyn, sent by John Probert from Aberystwyth to Bristol on board the Hopewell, of Aberystwyth on March 12th 1796, at a cost of 9 shillings per ton. A sloop Hopewell (of Aberystwyth) weighing 61 tons, is recorded as being stranded and wrecked on Saddle Head, Co Mayo in 1833.
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It was decided to drive the deep drainage level from Pontrhydygroes, which would meet the lode at Logaulas at a distance 360 fathoms, this would be 17 fathoms above the existing bottom of the workings. The portal is still visible today along with the keystone inscribed “This Level Commencd 1785”. In 1788 the cost of driving Level Fawr was recorded as being between £3/10/0 and £4/0/0 per fathom. Unfortunately the driving was so slow that it took over 30 years to reach what was thought to be the lode at Logaulas.
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Level Fawr would eventually drain 3 mines in addition to Logaulas; Penygist, Glogfach and Glogfawr.
In 1824 the Logaulas lease passed to the Cornish mining family of Williams, who set a party of men to work continuing the level, after a few feet they cut the true lode which was a vast deposit of ore which yielded rich returns for several years.
In 1834 the lease passed to Taylor’s Lisburne Mines Company. Between the years of 1834 and 1891 Logaulas produced 39,000 tons of lead ore, the second largest output in the county after Frongoch.
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Around the portal of Level Fawr a complex of workshops and ore dressing plant was established, making use of the supply of water, in addition a Cornish style Accounting House was built in 1834.
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This building still stands today and is a well known local landmark. The Count House and the entrance to the level are owned by Peter Lloyd Harvey of Llywernog Mining Museum, Ponterwyd. I must record my thanks to him for granting permission for the Level to be explored.
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Simon Hughes from Talybont has provided me with a drawing of a wagon used in Level Fawr
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Just inside the entrance are the remains of the dam and feed pipe for the hydro-electric scheme that provided street lighting in Pontrhydygroes in the early 1920’s. The generating equipment was located close to the new waterwheel opposite Lisburne Motors, which I will feature later in this talk.
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The level passes through some very unstable ground below Logaulas, which was propped with timbers in the late 1950’s.
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We now rise to the surface, for some views of Logaulas above ground.
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The next mine to be drained by Level Fawr was the smallest of the group Penygist, the output of this mine is difficult to quantify as it would have been amalgamated with that of Logaulas.
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At Penygist, 30 feet up in a stope (a method of mining – where the ore in mined above the tunnel) is an intermediate level which contains a very interesting artefact; a complete ore tram wagon. It is very unusual having double flanged wheels.
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Stood alongside the wagon is Robert Protheroe Jones later to become the Curator of Heavy Industry at the National Museum.
The ore from the Penygist workings would have been tipped down an ore chute into this wagon, which would have been pushed along this intermediate level, before the ore was tipped down to Level Fawr to be transported out to the surface.
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In the Intermediate Level is a collection of artefacts found by explorers.
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We again rise briefly to daylight to see the surface remains at Penygist.
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When Glogfach and Glogfawr Mines were revived in 1856 it is probable that the extension of Level Fawr commenced, in 1863 it is recorded as being 700 fathoms in length, 240 fathoms beyond Penygist, but still 140 fathoms short of Glogfach which took 9 more years to reach – after 87 years the level was completed by which time the bulk of the ore had already been extracted.
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A level was driven from the existing workings at Glogfach and Glogfawr to meet the approaching extension to Level Fawr but due to a surveying error it missed by about 12 feet, the floor of the of the tunnel broke through the roof of Level Fawr. This meant that an ore chute had to be constructed, so the ore being brought by tram wagons from Glogfach and Glogfawr could be tipped down for loading into to wagons to be taken out to daylight in Pontrhydygroes.
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After much work by mine explorers over the years Level Fawr is now open to the edge of the workings at Glogfach about 1¼ miles, where some serious collapses are so far preventing further progress.
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We now rise to the surface at Glogfach, Level Fawr is accessible to a point just beyond the fence.
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Adjoining Glogfach to the south is Glogfawr Mine, which is on the top of Pen Glogfawr and extends down into the March nant valley below.
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It is possible to enter some of the workings on the southern side of Pen Glogfawr. Here there are two levels, which are almost buried.
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In one of the levels it is possible to descend 30 feet down to the floor below, but the rock in this area is very unstable, boulders the size of a car have dropped.
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Some explorers have gone a short distance beyond this point but the way on is totally blocked, so unfortunately it not possible to descend to the far end of Level Fawr, which is over 600 feet below at this point.
To finish the story; the lease for Glogfawr passed to the Lisburne Mines Development Syndicate in 1907 under the management of R R Nancarrow, this operation raised 2427 tons of lead ore. The mine eventually closed in 1920.
63 Production Figures
For some years returns were made under individual mines, whilst in other years returns were made under Lisburne Mines, so it is not possible to give an accurate figure.
East Logaulas 1834 - 1891 39,000 tons lead ore (inc Penygist)
Glogfach 1862 - 1880 9,466 tons lead ore
Glogfawr 1857 - 1880 5,188 tons lead ore ------Total 53,654 tons lead ore
Lisburne Mines 1845 – 1913 48,597 tons lead ore
(inc Frongoch) 1,504 tons zinc ore
Some of which would have been produced by Logaulas and the Glog Mines
So an estimate of the total production of the Level Fawr mines would be in the region of 60 – 70,000 tons of lead ore. Records show a recovery rate of roughly 75% which gives a total of 45 – 52,000 tons of lead.
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A word of warning although the entrance to Level Fawr is open, entering underground in to the workings is very dangerous and should only be undertaken by those with the equipment and experience to safely explore the underground environment.
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The village’s link with its past heritage was recognised earlier this year with the ceremony to commemorate the construction of a working waterwheel, opposite Lisburne Motors. This was built by Pentir Plynlimon with financial assistance from Ceredigion County Council’s “Spirit of the Miners” project and is now a monument to the mines of the area and those who worked in them.
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71 An Underground Tour of Ceredigion
The Hidden World Beneath Your Feet We will now take a short break for questions, before I move on to the second part of my talk.
UNDERGROUND TOUR OF CEREDIGION
The hidden world beneath your feet
Bodcoll
Blaen Caelan
Cwm Rheidol
Gwaith Goch
Henfwlch
Penrhiw
Pant Mawr
Bwlch Glas
Ystrad Einion
Cwmystwyth