# Silica mines at Pontneddfechan - June 2010



## Mole Man (Jun 26, 2010)

Silica was mined here from the 18th to the 20th century, and was used to make heat-resistant bricks to line the furnaces for copper and iron-smelting. The mine worked through a series of adits driven into the side of the hill, with a tramway to permit horse-drawn drams to take away the rock to the brick works. Several large entrances are still clearly visible from the path which drops steeply down from the top of Dinas Rock to the Sychryd. The underground galleries were very extensive, extending over an area some 1000m x 500m, lower parts of the mine are now flooded.

A trip done over a few weekends when up in Wales in June, having a play with light painting. 

A roof support just inside the mine:







Part of the upper section of the mine, with some day light coming in and a bit of light painting too, with a bit of rail in and the pillars in place to hold up the roof:






One of the main passageways with the sleepers still in place for the rail track, there is still track further in the mine: 






Up near the main way in with sunlight coming in, I am about 150m from the light which give a guide to the size of the pillars some are 3m across: 






Another picture looking up from a lower passage to the main way in: 






Two of the lower flooded levels:











And thats about it, thanks for looking.


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## borntobemild (Jun 26, 2010)

Not sure what light painting is but the pics are excellent. Particularly the last two. Water doesn't get much clearer than that.


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