Victorian Bore Hole in Abercwmeiddaw slate mine, Wales

At Abercwmeiddaw slate mine, just a short distance from the village of Corris, we scrambled over an expansive dug out bowl that had once been the site of quarrying and climbed up the far side to reach this bore hole.  It was one of several test bore holes drilled by the Victorians. The Abercwmeiddaw Slate Quarry Company was a Liverpool based company who registered the mine in 1876.  It operated as a middle size quarry  and by 1882 employed 188 men producing approx 4,000 tons of slate.  But as the Welsh slate trade declined it ceased trading in 1905. Another company reopened the quarry on a smaller scale in 1911 but closed in 1938.  The quarry itself is now a fern and tree lined bowl cut into the mountain side.

Caver in Victorian borehole. Abercwmeiddaw slate mineCaver Neil Montgomery inside a Victorian bore hole. Abercwmeiddaw Slate Mine, North Wales. UK. Victorian bore hole, Abercwmeiddaw slate mine, North Wales.