The disused and abandoned Lead Mines at Bryntail on the Afon Clywedog River. SCO 8667
Lead mining around Dylife took place in Roman times (there is a Roman fort on nearby Penycrocbren) and recommenced in the 17th century on a small scale until the early 19th century. In 1809, the two managers, Hugh Williams and John Pughe, started to negotiate for the lease which they obtained in 1815. The two men operated the mines until the 1850s, although not harmoniously. The mines were expanded with new shafts and machinery was brought in to assist productivity by bringing ore to the surface, pumping out the shafts and processing the ore on the surface. Large waterwheels provided the power source, including Rhod Goch (Red Wheel), which, at 63 feet in diameter, was one of the largest in Britain. The high price of lead and the low wages paid to the workers, compensated for high transport costs over difficult country to the nearest port at Derwenlas on the River Dyfi. In 1864, the new railway from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury, with a relatively easily accessible station at Llanbrynmair, provided an easier route to the smelters in north-west 1864, as they mines declined, so did the population, moving to more secure work elsewhere. Some stayed on after the final closure in 1901, but the school closed in 1925 and the last baptism was celebrated at the church in 1926 - it was demolished in 1962.
Size: 6063px × 4035px
Location: Bryntail lead mine, Llanidloes, Powys, Mid Wales. United Kingdom.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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