Abercwmeiddaw quarry

Quarrying at Abercwmeiddaw probably started in the 1840s. Certainly it was a large enterprise when it was recorded employing 80 workers in 1849. In 1869, a lease was granted for the property and there is an 1871 report by John Imray on the quarry which describes a well-developed concern, although it was not then connected to the Upper Corris Tramway. and acquired the lease to the quarry. By March 1877, all the equipment for the new quarry was installed and a large number of men were being hired to work there. The company quickly established the quarry and by 1883 was producing 2,875 tons of finished slate. and 200 men are recorded at work at the turn of the century. A new company, the…

The main working at Abercwmeiddaw was a large pit on the north of the site. The first workings here were underground, and the binocular tunnels were driven into the hillside to reach the Broad Vein. Later working was restricted to the open pit, though in the 1920s and 1930s underground extraction was resumed. There were two mill buildings at the quarry. The original and larger mill stands to the south, above the Afon Deri. It had a 45 ft diameter waterwheel that was sited 15 ft below the mill level. This original mill is now demolished. The second mill is on the same level, but north of the original incline. It may never have been used as a mill, but the Robey steam engine was installed…