# Manod WW2, Secret Art Repository, North Wales - May 2013



## edlnd (May 27, 2013)

Manod is a slate quarry, but it was little known that in World War 2 the Goverment stored valuable artwork here to avoid it being damaged and/or stolen during the war.



> The mountain of Manod Mawr has had a long history of slate extraction, the earliest workings dating from over 200 years ago. Both sides of the mountain have been exploited for slate, on the North side most notably at Graig Ddu - famed as the quarry where the men used the "ceir gwyllt" or wild cars to descend the inclines after work. The present Manod quarry, also known as Bwlch y Slaters at one time, dates from the middle of the 19th century and it was mainly worked underground. Connection was made to the Rhiwbach tramway in 1866. One curiosity of the tramway connection was that it involved the use of a reversing spur to gain height. The quarry used the tramway to transport its slate until the 1930's. It was never a major player in the industry and seldom produced over 1000 tonnes per annum.
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> One well kept secret of Manod's past has only become public knowledge in the last 20 years. At the start of World War 2 the Government was looking for a secure site for some of the nation's art treasures. The fear of invasion and damage by air raids was of great concern and it was thought that underground storage would provide a solution. Manod was chosen as being sufficiently isolated and bomb proof and arrangements were made to requisition some of the underground chambers. An air conditioning plant was installed, brick partitions were erected, narrow gauge tracks were extended and specially designed wagons were built. The road up Cwm Teigl was improved and during the early years of the war LMS and Great Western Railway lorries laboured up the steep hill from Blaenau carrying some of the nations masterpieces. The whole operation was kept top secret.
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Thanks for looking.​


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## UrbanX (May 27, 2013)

Wowwwww! That's really cool! Lovely photos too dude!


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## TeeJF (May 28, 2013)

That's great mate. Reminds me a bit of Box.


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## flyboys90 (May 28, 2013)

Superb photos.


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