# Moel Fferna – May 2011.



## Mole Man (Jun 3, 2011)

Moel Fferna was a slab producing slate mine, worked entirely underground and it finally closed down in the mid 1960s due to the lack of men willing to work in such a remote location. Because it was worked for slab, its waste tips and mill are small for the size of its output. In fact, what looks on the surface to be a very small affair proves to be an enormous mine under the hillside. The mine opened in the 1870s and was worked entirely underground and eventually working on seven levels, access into the mine is via an air shaft which you have to abseiling down to get into the mine. There are few interesting things to see on the upper levels but much was removed on closure. 

View from the top.







The air shaft.






Old vintage air pump.











Oil can.






The wooden cog ceiling support.
This enormous timber structure was shoring up a fractured chamber roof quite successfully. This type of roof support was typically used in coal mines, but as Moel Fferna took on a number of coal miners at one stage in its life.











Passage at one end of a large gallery.






Miner’s writing on the walls.











The bridge, and yes we did go over it. 
The bridge spanned an enormous chamber with a drop so deep below it our lights didn’t touch the bottom about 80 feet. It was thoroughly rotten but actually in better condition than most bridges you come across in slate mines, which are usually either not there at all or have little remaining beyond a few chains hanging from the roof. 











At the incline head, the drum house was intact and so was the drum.






And that’s about it, thanks for looking.


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## eggbox (Jun 3, 2011)

Well done for the bridge


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## King Al (Jun 4, 2011)

This looks fantastic Mole Man, like the wooden supports and that bridge


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## Foxylady (Jun 4, 2011)

Blimey, that's some bridge and drop! 
Fantastic mine. Great stuff, Mole Man. Cheers.


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## borntobemild (Jun 4, 2011)

excellent pics. You're a lot braver than I am!


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## Snips86x (Jun 4, 2011)

Great set of images here! Great work on that bridge. I'd be too worried about it collapsing.


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## Mole Man (Jun 5, 2011)

Thanks for the comments, I think if you could see how far down it was to the ground from the bridge it would be a bit more intimidating but you could not see the drop, so we just got on with it and went over.

A few pictures of us on the bridge now I have had time to sort out some more.


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## sYnc_below (Jun 6, 2011)

Nice one.....loving the Bridge Of Death


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## Mole Man (Jun 6, 2011)

Yes you would die if you were to fall from the bridge, but you could not see the drop with the lights we had, so we just got on with it and went over.


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## TeeJF (Jun 7, 2011)

Wow... serious stuff!!!


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