Industrial Archeology
The area around the Llanrwst is dotted with industrial archeology including :-
- Llandudno's world famous Bronze Age mine on the Great Orme that dates back 4,000 years (2,000 years before the Roman invasion)
and is believed to be the largest Prehistoric mine that has been discovered in the world to date. This is only a 30-35 minute drive from the centre of Llanrwst.
You can reach this site in Llandudno either by driving up the Great Orme, walking up (a very steep walk in places) or by using the cable car or the
Great Orme Tramway
- The Sygun copper mine
- a 40 minute drive from the Princes Arms this mine, abandoned in 1903 provides visitors with an enjoyable and interesting glimpse into the life of a Victorian copper miner
and is a great example of how our industrial heritage can be reclaimed and restored.
- The Llechwedd Slate Caverns - again, about a 30-35 minute drive from us, this is part of a working slate mine
that has been active since 1836. With 2 underground tours you are taken deep into the Welsh mountains to experience the world of the Welsh Slate miner during the 19th century.
- Further afield in Llangollen there is another World Heritage site - the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, opened in 1805 this aqueduct carries the Llangollen canal over a 1,007ft gap across the Dee valley
at a height of up to 126ft. The town of Llangollen, the canal and the aqueduct are about an hours drive from Llanrwst.
- The Welsh Slate Museum is in Llanberis near to the Snowdon Railway and is a living, working
museum set amongst the towering slate tips of Dinorwig quarry. The museum building is sited in the original Victorian workshops built in 1870. Llanberis is an easy 35 minute drive from us.
- Although not strictly archeology if you are visiting Llanberis we would strongly recommend booking a tour of Electric Mountain.
This hydro-electric power station uses water from a lake at the top of the mountain at Dinorwig to generate power almost instantaneously during the day and at night pumps the water back up to the lake from
a lower reservoir.
- In addition to these well known sites there are many smaller mines and traces of archeology across the area such as the copper mine at Lliwedd and many abandoned mines and quarries. If you are interested in these you must remember that slate quarries can be dangerous places - the rock can be slippery, waste tips are often unstable and the walls of buildings are often on the point of collapse, the weather can change rapidly, there may be hidden shafts or pits and the nearest assistance, in the event of accident, may be some miles away. The same applies even more so to underground workings some of which may be accessible as all of them are dangerous. If you would like to explore old mines one option is the Corris mine explorers group which explores the Braich Goch slate mine about 50 miles (a 75 minute drive) south of us. Another, closer option is a trip underground with Go Below who operate several trips from their bases at the Conwy Falls (6 miles / 10-15 minutes) and Tanygrisau (15 miles / 30 minutes) from us.
