War-time Art storage,,Welsh quarry

[boyo1414]

During the Second World war the contents of the National Gallery were moved up to a slate quarry in North Wales to keep them safe from the Blitz. The paintings were moved in great secrecy in Cadburys Chocolate lorries,,,,,, not lorries made of chocolate,, you know what I mean. Mind you,,, it would have looked a bit suspicious to me to see loads of chocies driven up a Welsh mountain at a time when sweets were rationed!!

Anyway,, the chambers and tunnels extend thousands of feet inside the mountain and the huge slate chambers of the quarry were furnished with air conditioned brick buildings and then humidity controlled to keep the paintings in pristine condition.

Every week a painting was returned to London so that the public could view it and it proved a very popular exhibition.

After the war the paintings were returned to London but the quarry remained in ministry ownership until the 80's. The quarry is now producing slate again.

There is no public access to the tunnels and the security is good so I have only managed to take exterior shots,, but I'll keep knocking at the door


P1000871 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

Through the metal gate


P1000872 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

There are extensive remains of several other quarries near.

Graffiti is not a new idea, here on a lintel in a shed used for cutting and trimming the slate


ebay 105_2 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

The quarries here are so remote that a small village was built to house families and other separate buildings for men to lodge in during the working week,,,,, returning down the mountain at weekends to be with their families


manod temp 009 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

The village won't be here for much longer


manod temp 005_2 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

Wartime delivery

 

[Pincheck]

Very interesting mate ,really good story well done

 

[oldscrote]

Well done mate That's a fair old hike in the hills to get there.Nick Mcamley has some stuff on the site in his Secret Underground Cities book.try this site

http://www.timpdon.co.uk/manod/index.htm?x=65&y=11

http://www.penmorfa.com/Rhiwbach/manod3.html

 

[boyo1414]

,,,,,,I've not seen the first site, something for this evening

It's a lovely area to visit if you ever get near,, about 5 miles up a tortuous dead end road but many great walks around the hills on a plateau high above the Festiniog/Penmachno environs. We visit several times year

 

[urban phantom]

Nice work mate ive seen this on tv thay showed you inside but i think some had collapsed now thanks for sharing

 

[Tizzme]

I have walked round them abandoned houses and did not know the history Thanks boyo.

 

[Foxylady]

Really enjoyed seeing your pics and reading the history. Good stuff, boyo.

Mmmm...Chocolate lorries!

 

[night crawler]

Very interesting bit of history I never knew about. Thanks for digging it out.

 

[maximus]

What an interesting report...thankyou!

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Quote - "During the Second World war the contents of the National Gallery were moved up to a slate quarry in North Wales to keep them safe from the Blitz. The paintings were moved in great secrecy in Cadburys Chocolate lorries,,,,,, not lorries made of chocolate,, you know what I mean. Mind you,,, it would have looked a bit suspicious to me to see loads of chocies driven up a Welsh mountain at a time when sweets were rationed!!"

A bit of sensible research by the person/persons who started the Cadbury lorry myth would have revealed that some of the pantechnicon type lorries of all of the Railway Companies carried Cadburys advertising. A similar advertisement, for 'Knights Castile' soap and another of indistinguishable product, can be seen in the two pictures of LMS vehicles on the timpdon.co.uk site mentioned by Oldscrote in his reply. The old Railway Company records all seem to indicate that the move was carried out by the Railways and their road transport.

 

[Em_Ux]

Interesting stuff

 

[jools]

Quote - "During the Second World war the contents of the National Gallery were moved up to a slate quarry in North Wales to keep them safe from the Blitz. The paintings were moved in great secrecy in Cadburys Chocolate lorries,,,,,, not lorries made of chocolate,, you know what I mean. Mind you,,, it would have looked a bit suspicious to me to see loads of chocies driven up a Welsh mountain at a time when sweets were rationed!!"

A bit of sensible research by the person/persons who started the Cadbury lorry myth would have revealed that some of the pantechnicon type lorries of all of the Railway Companies carried Cadburys advertising. A similar advertisement, for 'Knights Castile' soap and another of indistinguishable product, can be seen in the two pictures of LMS vehicles on the timpdon.co.uk site mentioned by Oldscrote in his reply. The old Railway Company records all seem to indicate that the move was carried out by the Railways and their road transport.

You're not wrong,,,, sensible research is all very well but because the ministry kept wraps over the truth for so long,.,, a lot of rumour, myth and guesswork became thought of as fact,,,,, and it persists.

In time the internet will help sort myth from fact,, and these forums help it along

I've knew about the "mythical" storage area for years before the internet arrived (God,,, that dates me,,I had a Sinclair QL!!) I visited and explored the quarry complexes (then not working) and talked to locals but even the old sheep farmer who had worked the valley all his life thought that Cadbury's lorries were involved,,,, he directed me to another gated adit entrance at the (nearby) Rhiwbach quarry,,, but even that was subsequently found to be incorrect,,,,,, a lot of the caverns and their access tunnels have been up-topped or have collapsed so I thought the site effectively destroyed,,, I must go back soon

 

[oldscrote]

This is probably the definitive book on the subject

http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Savi...?product_id=335?product_id=335&product_id=335

 

[Silent Hill]

Nicely put together mate. Important set of pics for the future there.

 

[jools]

This is probably the definitive book on the subject

http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Savi...?product_id=335?product_id=335&product_id=335

Thanks for that,,,,,,, I've just reserved it at my library

Some of the adjoining quarries have interesting remains, It's possible to enter huge slate caverns and wander around the old workings,,,, in the past I've not been prepared with torch etc and have been reluctant to get far inside. One of the drainage tunnels is driven 600' down the mountain to the next quarry along. There are bits of machinery tools and rail trucks in them caverns,,,,,,

Here are some of the surface machinery remains,,,,,,,,, unfortunately the scrap man has done his best,,,,,,,,

A traction engine remains. Used as a stationary winch to haul tubs up an inclined plane to the Rhiwbach tramway and thence down to Ffestiniog ,,,,, Yes I said down to Ffestiniog,,, this place is on top of the world!!


manod temp 017 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

Steam winch gear used to haul tubs up out of the sloping galleries


ebay 103 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

Ditto


ebay 104 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

On top of the World,,,,,


P1000870 by http://www.flickr.com/people/jools-roche/

 

[Engineer]

a lot of the caverns and their access tunnels have been up-topped or have collapsed so I thought the site effectively destroyed,,, I must go back soon

Possibly not, in this case. Their getting there though.