Wrysgan Quarry

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The monument comprises the well-preserved remains of Wrysgan Quarry, a relict upland slate mine situated on the southern slopes of Moel Yr Hydd, northwest of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The compact nature of the site contrasts with the other quarries of the region - its precipitous location, high above the village of Tanygrisiau is a naturally constrained site, providing limited space for tipping. Wrysgan survives as an unusually legible site particularly notable for its impressive exit incline, which at c600m in length, is the longest such feature in Ffestiniog.

Wrysgan was opened in the 1830s and substantially developed from the 1850s onwards. The early quarry hauled stone via a steep track towards Llyn Cwmorthin but, as with other quarries of the region, its success eventually necessitated a connection to the Ffestiniog Railway. In 1850 a stone-built, self-acting incline was constructed – the steep gradient between the quarry and the railway connection some 180m below required the use of an unusual tunnel section at the upper end. The head of the incline sits within a deep cutting and much of the associated incline infrastructure survives, including a machine spun cable and two incline waggons, along with a hook and a supporting brace.

Wrysgan's first mill was built in 1855 while the second mill, constructed ten years later, provided a combined capacity of 20 saws and 20 dressers. The main mill survives as a roofless structure 47m NW – SE by 27m transversely with a wheel pit and adjoining forge. The quarry retains an impressive reservoir which utilises 2 stone dams at the NE and SW of Llyn y Wrysgan to impound water that fed a system of aqueducts connected to the mill. A modest barracks also survives alongside other ancillary buildings close to the mine adits.

The monument is of national importance as a well preserved relic of the slate quarry industry and for it's potential to enhance our understanding of the industry. Wrysgan Quarry is a well-preserved relict site which retains some important landscape-scale features. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. The scheduled area is a large irregular polygon c.1km NE-SW by c.1km transversely and centred on NGR 267686, 345472.