Big Ol' Chimney (and assorted stuff.)

[Scruffyone]

Whilst spending an evening trawling my local area on google earth (as I seem to be spending more and more time doing nowadays), I spotted a chimney top sticking out of the forest canopy. Knowing that there were many mine shafts around the area I decide to go and a check it out. Any advice on the purpose of these buildings would be greatly appreciated (I really should learn more about this stuff) It could well have been linked to the Elba Colliery, more on which here

http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/GlamWest/Elba.htm

There is another mine mentioned on old maps that I cant find any info on, and on a mining forum this woodland apparently had no mine workings whatsoever, so I drew a bit of a blank. Now, bearing in mind that google earth is about 4 years out of date, I wasnt really sure what I would find. So I'll show you.

After a trudge through some very muddy and very overgrown woodland this was my first sight of the buildings

A close up of the chimney

Looking up

Either side of the chimney were two walls with a narrow gap between. This is one side

The gaps

And just for some randomness, in the middle of a clearing, this chair.

Any ideas?
(there are some more pics on my flickr page too)

 

[Neosea]

That looks cool, have you a flashearth link?

 

[Scruffyone]

Flash earth doesnt have a good enough resolution. heres google maps instead

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.646582,-4.058265&spn=0.000744,0.002393&t=h&z=19

 

[BigLoada]

Nice find. Its great searching Google Earth and finding stuff like that. Looks like the remains of an engine house to me.

 

[Neosea]

Thanks

 

[Scruffyone]

sorry for the spazzy question, but what kind of engine?

 

[BigLoada]

I mean a steam engine, for winding or pumping. The only thing I could find round that area was Felin Fach colliery, but there is sod all on the internet about it unfortunately.

 

[Scruffyone]

Hmm, There was an Allt Wen colliery too (although it was disused by 1891), this is Allt Wen wood, and I think the old Elba colliery was just up the road. The locations of any mines in this area seem to be impossible to find.

 

[Foxylady]

That looks really interesting. Nice find!
Hope you get to find out more about it. Good stuff!

 

[Foxylady]

Hmm, There was an Allt Wen colliery too (although it was disused by 1891), this is Allt Wen wood...

It does look pretty old and with the name of the wood, looks like you might be onto something there.

 

[BigLoada]

Hmm, There was an Allt Wen colliery too (although it was disused by 1891), this is Allt Wen wood, and I think the old Elba colliery was just up the road. The locations of any mines in this area seem to be impossible to find.

I got confused there as there is an Allt Wen lead mine somewhere else. Records Office is yer best bet or the big libraries what have the archive section.

 

[Scruffyone]

yeah, I was hoping that I had found it, although on the old maps it shows it on the opposite side of the wood. Hopefully its not under the houses, or I'll never find it!

 

[Lightbuoy]

Yes, a good find here. Interesting link too -cheers matey

Lb:jimlad:

 

[Engineer]

Old Chimney.

There's an Allt Wen Colliery listed here. Swansea Council may have some info

http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=9677

 

[Scruffyone]

as a late addition, i found this just down the road. The area around the pond looks like possible tracks and drift entrances maybe?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=51.640943,-4.067076&spn=0.001488,0.004785&t=h&z=18

any ideas? could this be the elusive mine workings? I may have a looksee this weekend.

 

[djrich]

Excellent find, looks really cool.

 

[Melvin Faust]

It's not an ore smelter of some sort is it? It looks very similar to the lead smelter chimneys you find on the moors in the North Pennines

 

[BigLoada]

It's not an ore smelter of some sort is it? It looks very similar to the lead smelter chimneys you find on the moors in the North Pennines

Crossed my mind as well actually. That door way looks like the ash-hole. Could be a refining furnace. Though there weren't a huge amount of metal mines in that area, I would have said an engine house is more likely.

 

[Scruffyone]

The (rather limited) info on the area that I have found doesnt mention metal working at all. I think the mines round here were all for coal. although as mentioned earlier, there is an Allt Wen lead mine, although god only knows where that is, I think it maybe up by brecon somewhere.Thanks for all the info though. I just find 'em, but every report I do I learn something new. Enough of the fawning though, I'm gonna have a look at the area in the second google earth image I posted. Just to set my mind at rest.