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history from wikipedia
The Dinorwic Slate Quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, indeed in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry. It covered more than 700 acres (2.8 km2) consisting of two main quarry sections with 20 galleries in each and a number of ancillary workings. Extensive internal tramway systems connected the quarries using inclines to transport slate between galleries.
History
The first commercial attempts at slate mining took place in 1787, when a private partnership obtained a lease from the landowner, Assheton Smith. Although this met with moderate success, the outbreak of war with France, taxes and transportation costs limited the development of the quarry. A new business partnership led by Assheton Smith himself was formed on the expiry of the lease in 1809 and the business boomed after the construction of a horse-drawn tramway to Port Dinorwic in 1824. At its peak in the late 19th century, "when it was producing an annual outcome of 100,000 tonnes", Dinorwic employed over 3,000 men and was the second largest opencast slate producer in the country. Although by 1930 its working employment had dropped to 2,000, it kept a steady production until 1969.
as many people who have been here know that there is a public footpath or trail you can walk up and along the top of vivian quarry to dinorwic, however if you go off the beaten track at dinorwic after the quarrymans barracks you get to see things that people wouldnt normally see up here ......the good stuff.....and australia level.
ive been here a few times now but only managed australia level once, so this is my second visit up here, and its not an easy level to get to i decided to park in the slate museum carpark and do the vivian trail until i got to dinorwic barracks then take it from there, that itself is a killer and believe me if your not fit youll struggle to get up and over vivian quarry.
however on arrival at the base of vivian i found out that the trail was closed due to some collapse and i couldnt be arsed walking all the way to another footpath so i just carried on up the vivian trail....didnt really notice any collapse
anyway after going up and over vivian quarry and through the wooded area this is the first thing of interest you get to see although still on public footpath and still not urbex yet its always nice to see.
the quarrymans barracks
welcome to dinorwic quarry
along the way you can look down on dinorwic powerstation
after leaving that part this is where the real exploring begins. the first place i alway visit is the old tunnels (you can hear dinorwic powerstation buzzing undernaeth you once inside)
next up is the quarrymans restroom, then last time i was here there was more than 2 coats hanging on the wall and lots of letters people had wrote and left in there also the sign someone made for the restroom seems to have gone.
apparently the once leather jackets left hanging on the walls were half eaten by goats leaving just the top half of the coat where the goat couldnt reach them.
this is what it is now
and just over 12 months ago
the boots and that still remain
outside a blondin still attatched to the cable
next up is a series of ladders (you dont have to climb them there is an old destroyed quarry mans footpath you can climb up but its good fun if you climb em)
this is from the top ladder there actually quite secure to the slate face
taking you up to australia level and the first stop the compressor room, from what i can gather work was mainly done by hand ie drilling/sawing the compressors were installed later on to provide air for the drills used for drilling into the slate to get it ready for blasting.
incline for the slate wagons
next up the saw mill used for cutting up the slate
i think this was some sort of slate processing room
lastly the train tracks of death...i think the remains of the village tramway going off what the map says.the ground has neither gave way underneath or it was blasted its just left suspended in mid air with a huge drop below it, rusted and probably not very safe to walk across nowadays
explored with slaphead (although he didnt make it all the way to australia level tut tut)
heres a vid of the tracks getting walked across
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0rdy6BByE[/nomedia]
and a short vid on the quarry
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPpWq_Q-1dE[/nomedia]
The Dinorwic Slate Quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, indeed in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry. It covered more than 700 acres (2.8 km2) consisting of two main quarry sections with 20 galleries in each and a number of ancillary workings. Extensive internal tramway systems connected the quarries using inclines to transport slate between galleries.
History
The first commercial attempts at slate mining took place in 1787, when a private partnership obtained a lease from the landowner, Assheton Smith. Although this met with moderate success, the outbreak of war with France, taxes and transportation costs limited the development of the quarry. A new business partnership led by Assheton Smith himself was formed on the expiry of the lease in 1809 and the business boomed after the construction of a horse-drawn tramway to Port Dinorwic in 1824. At its peak in the late 19th century, "when it was producing an annual outcome of 100,000 tonnes", Dinorwic employed over 3,000 men and was the second largest opencast slate producer in the country. Although by 1930 its working employment had dropped to 2,000, it kept a steady production until 1969.
as many people who have been here know that there is a public footpath or trail you can walk up and along the top of vivian quarry to dinorwic, however if you go off the beaten track at dinorwic after the quarrymans barracks you get to see things that people wouldnt normally see up here ......the good stuff.....and australia level.
ive been here a few times now but only managed australia level once, so this is my second visit up here, and its not an easy level to get to i decided to park in the slate museum carpark and do the vivian trail until i got to dinorwic barracks then take it from there, that itself is a killer and believe me if your not fit youll struggle to get up and over vivian quarry.
however on arrival at the base of vivian i found out that the trail was closed due to some collapse and i couldnt be arsed walking all the way to another footpath so i just carried on up the vivian trail....didnt really notice any collapse
anyway after going up and over vivian quarry and through the wooded area this is the first thing of interest you get to see although still on public footpath and still not urbex yet its always nice to see.
the quarrymans barracks
welcome to dinorwic quarry
along the way you can look down on dinorwic powerstation
after leaving that part this is where the real exploring begins. the first place i alway visit is the old tunnels (you can hear dinorwic powerstation buzzing undernaeth you once inside)
next up is the quarrymans restroom, then last time i was here there was more than 2 coats hanging on the wall and lots of letters people had wrote and left in there also the sign someone made for the restroom seems to have gone.
apparently the once leather jackets left hanging on the walls were half eaten by goats leaving just the top half of the coat where the goat couldnt reach them.
this is what it is now
and just over 12 months ago
the boots and that still remain
outside a blondin still attatched to the cable
next up is a series of ladders (you dont have to climb them there is an old destroyed quarry mans footpath you can climb up but its good fun if you climb em)
this is from the top ladder there actually quite secure to the slate face
taking you up to australia level and the first stop the compressor room, from what i can gather work was mainly done by hand ie drilling/sawing the compressors were installed later on to provide air for the drills used for drilling into the slate to get it ready for blasting.
incline for the slate wagons
next up the saw mill used for cutting up the slate
i think this was some sort of slate processing room
lastly the train tracks of death...i think the remains of the village tramway going off what the map says.the ground has neither gave way underneath or it was blasted its just left suspended in mid air with a huge drop below it, rusted and probably not very safe to walk across nowadays
explored with slaphead (although he didnt make it all the way to australia level tut tut)
heres a vid of the tracks getting walked across
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0rdy6BByE[/nomedia]
and a short vid on the quarry
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPpWq_Q-1dE[/nomedia]
