Cloddfacoed Quarry

Overview

A small, late-18th-century slate quarry on the east side of Talysarn in the Nantlle Valley, worked only intermittently and on a tiny scale throughout its life before being acquired, unworked, by the neighbouring Dorothea quarry in the 1940s.

History

Cloddfa'r Coed (Cloddfacoed) Quarry, on the east side of Talysarn, was a small working dating from the late 18th century that opened only intermittently right up until well into the 20th century. Output stayed tiny throughout almost all of its working life -- other than a brief upturn in the 1890s, tonnages were minimal, with just four men producing a mere eight tons of slate between them in 1873. The quarry's pumping was handled by a Fawcett and Littledale engine, later adapted to also provide winding power. In the 1940s the site was acquired by the far larger neighbouring Dorothea quarry, but was never actually worked by its new owner; it has since been landscaped.

Workings

Drained and, later, wound by a Fawcett and Littledale engine; worked on a very small scale throughout its life, with a workforce as small as four men.

Closure

Acquired, unworked, by the neighbouring Dorothea quarry in the 1940s; the site has since been landscaped.

What remains

Acquired by Dorothea quarry in the 1940s but never worked afterward; the site has since been landscaped.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Cloddfa'r Coed Quarry was a small, late-18th-century working that opened only intermittently; other than a brief 1890s upturn, tonnages were minimal, with just four men producing eight tons of slate between them in 1873. ¹
• The quarry's drainage, and later its winding power too, was provided by a Fawcett and Littledale engine. ¹
• In the 1940s the site was acquired by the far larger neighbouring Dorothea quarry but was never actually worked by its new owner, and has since been landscaped. ^2,1

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (secondary) The Welsh village that nature is reclaiming at historic slate quarry — North Wales Live / Daily Post
2. (secondary) Dorothea quarry — Wikipedia

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026