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Bryn Eglwys Quarry
Bryn Eglwys quarry was a Slate industry in Wales, slate quarry and mine near Abergynolwyn, in Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), Wales. More than 300 men worked at the site, making it the principal employer in the area. Two veins of slate, known as the Broad Vein and the Narrow Vein, were worked. The geology continues eastwards towards Corris and Dinas Mawddwy, and westwards towards Tywyn. It was one of many quarries that worked these veins. The site, which was in operation for just over 100 years, covered almost . It had several long tunnels up to to . However, since closure all buildings have been demolished. Most of its Cable railway, inclines and infrastructure have become part of forestry plantations. From 1866 until 1948, the quarry was served by the narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway, which took the slate down to Tywyn for transfer to the Cambrian Coast Line, main line railway. History John Pugh In 1844 John Pugh or Pughe obtained a quarrying lease from Lewis Morris, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gwynedd
Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey. Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of and a population of 117,400. After Bangor (18,322), the largest settlements are Caernarfon (9,852), Bethesda (4,735), and Pwllheli (4,076). The county has the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 64.4%, and is considered a heartland of the language. The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. The county contains much of Snowdonia (), a national park which contains Wales's highest mountain, Snowdon (; ). To the west, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aberdyfi
Aberdyfi (), also known as Aberdovey ( ), is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, located on the northern side of the estuary of the River Dyfi. The population of the community was 878 at the 2011 census. The electoral ward had a larger population of 1,282 and includes the community of Pennal. Founded by shipbuilding, Aberdyfi is now a seaside resort with a high quality beach. The centre is on the river and seafront, around the original harbour, jetty and beach; it stretches back from the coast and up the steep hillside in the midst of typical Welsh coastal scenery of steep green hills and sheep farms. Penhelig railway station () is in the eastern part of the village. Being less than from the West Midlands, the area is popular with tourists. 43.3% of houses in the village are holiday homes. The village is located within the Snowdonia National Park. In the 2011 census, 38.5% of the population of Aberdyfi ward identified themselves as Welsh (or combined). 59.4% of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cantrybedd Incline
The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. Despite severe underinvestment, the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers. Since preservation, the railway has operated as a tourist attraction, expanding its rolling stock through acquisition and an engineering programme to build new locomotives and carriages. In 1976, an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn to the new station at Nant Gwernol. In 2005 a major rebuilding and extension of Tywyn Wharf station took place, including a much-expanded facility for the Narrow Gauge Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Swinton Spooner
The Spooners of Porthmadog refers to the Spooner family of Porthmadog, North Wales who made important contributions to the development of narrow gauge railways both locally and throughout the world. James Spooner, together with his sons James Swinton and Charles Easton and other members of their family, constructed and managed the Ffestiniog Railway for over fifty years. In North Wales they were involved in the promotion of numerous railway schemes including many quarry lines, the Talyllyn Railway, the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway, the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways and the Carnarvonshire Railway. Through publications and overseas family commissions they influenced narrow gauge railway construction in Russia, America and throughout the British Empire. James Spooner ;Dates 1790–1856 Family James Spooner was born at Leigh near Worcester in 1790. He trained as a land surveyor and is believed to have worked as a civilian member of an Ordnance Survey team. He married in 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narrow Gauge Railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railway curve radius, tighter curves, smaller structure gauges, and lighter Rail profile, rails; they can be less costly to build, equip, and operate than standard- or broad-gauge railways (particularly in mountainous or difficult terrain). Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often used in mountainous terrain, where engineering savings can be substantial. Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often built to serve industries as well as sparsely populated communities where the traffic potential would not justify the cost of a standard- or broad-gauge line. Narrow-gauge railways have specialised use in mines and other environments where a small structure gauge necessitates a small loading gauge. In some countries, narrow gauge is the standard: Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of America, Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by U.S. state, states that had Secession in the United States, seceded from the Union. The Origins of the American Civil War, central conflict leading to war was a dispute over whether Slavery in the United States, slavery should be permitted to expand into the western territories, leading to more slave states, or be prohibited from doing so, which many believed would place slavery on a course of ultimate extinction. Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War, Decades of controversy over slavery came to a head when Abraham Lincoln, who opposed slavery's expansion, won the 1860 presidential election. Seven Southern slave states responded to Lincoln's victory by seceding f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McConnel
William McConnel (1810 – 10 October 1902) (sometimes written: William McConnell) was a British industrialist and mill-owner from Lancashire, England. He founded the Aberdovey Slate Company that ran the Bryn Eglwys slate quarry from 1863 onwards and oversaw the construction of the associated Talyllyn Railway. Cotton mill owner The McConnel family were owners of a series of large cotton spinning mills in Ancoats in the city of Manchester. The first mill, Sedgewick Mill, was built between 1818 and 1821 by the company of Messrs. McConnel & Kennedy under the chairmanship of James McConnel, William's father, and in partnership with John Kennedy. James McConnel died in 1831 and three of his sons, Henry, James and William became partners in the business. By 1833, the McConnel & Kennedy Mills were the largest importer of cotton from America, and Sedgwick Mill was one of the largest mills in operation in the United Kingdom. Henry retired from the business in 1860 and his brother ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92 million, and the largest in Northern England. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Stockport, Tameside, Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Oldham, Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Rochdale, Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Bury and City of Salford, Salford. The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort (''castra'') of Mamucium, ''Mamucium'' or ''Mancunium'', established on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers River Medlock, Medlock and River Irwell, Irwell. Throughout the Middle Ages, Manchester remained a ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotton Mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven by animal power, most early mills were built in rural areas at fast-flowing rivers and streams, and used water wheels for power. The development of viable steam engines by Boulton and Watt from 1781 led to the growth of larger, steam-powered mills. They were built in a concentrated way in urban mill towns, such as Manchester. Together with neighbouring Salford, it had more than 50 mills by 1802. The mechanisation of the spinning process in the early factories was instrumental in the growth of the machine tool industry, enabling the construction of larger cotton mills. Limited companies were developed to construct mills, and together with the business of the trading floors of the cotton exchange in Manchester, a vast commercial cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fathew Valley
The Afon Fathew () is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The river is downstream from the Dolgoch Falls which is a popular nature site, and is followed for much of its course by the Talyllyn Railway. Name The basic name of the river in Welsh is ''Mathew'', presumably in origin the personal name Matthew. Due to consonant mutation, ''Mathew'' becomes ''Fathew'' following the feminine noun ''afon'' ('river'). Likewise, the feminine noun ''pont'' ('bridge') gives rise to the name of the hamlet ''Pontfathew'', now considered to be a part of the village of Bryn-crug. In English, the Welsh name ''Afon Fathew'' is commonly used, and ''River Mathew'' less so. The form ''River Fathew'' is also quite common, although it is difficult to justify on a linguistic basis as there is no consonant mutation in English. Course The Afon Fathew is a short river and flows in a southwesterly direction from near Dolgoch railway station, joining the River Dysynni to the east of Tywyn near ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pennal
Pennal is a village and community on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the River Dyfi, near Machynlleth. It lies in the historic county of Merionethshire () and is within the Snowdonia National Park. Roman fort It was the site of a small Roman fort, known as Cefn Caer in Welsh, probably guarding a ford or ferry crossing of the Dyfi on the Sarn Helen Roman road. The remains of the fort lie under the 14th-century house of Cefn Caer, overlooking the village. Price Family of Esgair Weddan Just outside Pennal is the farmstead of 'Esgair Weddan' which from the 14th century until the mid 18th was the home of the Price (ap Rhys) family of Esgair Weddan, patrilineal descendants of Dafydd ap Llywelyn, son of Llywelyn fawr (the great) Prince of Wales (1240–1246). Their home was called Plas yn y Rofft in Elizabethan times and was located in a field behind the present farmhouse above the village of Cwrt, (originally Pont y Cwrt), meaning "court", ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pack Horse
A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. Use of packhorses dates from the Neolithic period to the present day. Today, westernized nations primarily use packhorses for recreational pursuits, but they are still an important part of everyday transportation of goods throughout much of the developing world and have some military uses in rugged regions. History Packhorses have been used since the earliest period of domestication of the horse. They were invaluable throughout antiquity, through the Middle Ages, and into modern times where roads are nonexistent or poorly maintained. Historic use in England Packhorses were heavily used to transport goods and minerals in England from medieval times until the construction of the first turnpike roads and canals in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
