Carreg Fawr Mine, Betws Garmon, Gwynedd, Wales, UKi

Regional Level Types
Carreg Fawr Mine	Mine
Betws Garmon	Community
Gwynedd	County
Wales	Country
UK	Country

Uphill of the larger Ystrad Mine, Garregfawr Mine operated on the same orebody, a sedimentary deposit precipitated as nodules within a cleaved mudstone, the Nant Ffrancon formation. This formation occurs widely across this part of north Wales and appears common to all of the Caernarvonshire iron mines.

Referred to in a deed of 1769, the 1st edition Ordnance survay map of this area published in 1841 shows a iron mine on this site. The Mining Journal (1884) stated that between 1840-50, the mine was worked by the (south Wales) Aberdare Iron Company, ore being sent to Aberdare to be mixed with ironsone from the south Wales coalfield. The mine was wound up in 1868. Although various leases were grated after this, little or no working appears to have beeen undertaken until 1906, when 6 years of investment and exploitation followed. In 1908, 37 men were employed below ground and 42 men above ground. However, the operation was short-lived, the mine being abandoned in 1913.

Similar to Ystrad Mine below it, the workings run up the hillside of Moel Eilio in a series of 11 chambers, these being interconnected underground.

Although easily worked, the mine having no water problems and the undergroung workings not requiring timbering, the ore, like all of the Gwynedd iron mines had a high silica content which rendered it unattractive to distant ironmasters and which contributed to the mine's ultimate failure. Records show 18,800, 13,200 and 13,400 tons of or being raised in the years 1909, 1910 and 1911 respectively.

During the latter workings, ore was transported by aerial ropway to a railway at Llanberis. Bases of the ropeway can still be seen.

Ref: Caernarvonshire Iron Ore, Jeremy S Wilkinson, British Mining No. 78, Memoirs 2005, Northern Mines Research Society.

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