Gaewern Quarry

Overview

A slate quarry at Corris worked from around 1820 under a mineral lease dating to 1787, which grew to employ 200 men by 1873 before merging into the neighbouring Braichgoch (and later Abercorris) combine from 1884.

History

David Williams leased the quarrying and mineral rights at Gaewern and the neighbouring Braich Goch from John Edwards in 1787, with the two sites initially worked together under the Merionethshire Slate Company. Site-specific working at Gaewern itself, combining underground extraction with some open working, is recorded as established by around 1820. The quarry developed considerably once connected to the Upper Corris Tramway by an incline running under the main road, and by 1873 employed around 200 men. One account of the quarry's Victorian ownership records it passing to John Rowlands, whose tenure proved unprofitable, before being sold on to the Talyllyn Slate Company in 1868. In 1884 Gaewern merged with Braichgoch, with a later surface tramway connection allowing Braichgoch's own mills to be used; the quarry was also, by 1901, amalgamated with the neighbouring Abercorris quarry. Bulk working and subsequent road improvements have since removed most surface evidence, though a well-preserved drumhouse, building ruins and a reservoir survived at the top of the site as of the early 1990s, along with an unusually rare example of wrought-iron fishbelly T-section rail used in an internal tramway system.

Workings

Underground workings with some open working, connected via an incline running under the main road to the Upper Corris Tramway; later linked by a surface tramway to Braichgoch's own mills once the two quarries merged in 1884.

Closure

Merged into the Braichgoch combine from 1884, and into a wider grouping with Abercorris by 1901; closed along with Braichgoch in the early 1970s.

What remains

Little survives at surface level following bulk working and road improvements, though a well-preserved drumhouse, building ruins and a reservoir remained at the top of the site as of an early-1990s survey.

A drumhouse, quarry building ruins and a reservoir at the top of the site; rare surviving wrought-iron fishbelly T-section tramway rail.

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.

• David Williams leased the mineral rights at Gaewern and Braich Goch from John Edwards in 1787, worked initially by the Merionethshire Slate Company; site-specific working at Gaewern itself is recorded as established by around 1820. ^1,2
• By 1873 the quarry employed around 200 men, having grown considerably after its connection to the Upper Corris Tramway by an incline under the main road. ¹
• Gaewern merged with Braichgoch in 1884, with a later surface tramway connection allowing Braichgoch's mills to be used, and was amalgamated with the neighbouring Abercorris quarry by 1901. ¹
• A well-preserved drumhouse, building ruins and a reservoir survived at the top of the site as of an early-1990s survey, along with wrought-iron fishbelly T-section rail, an internal-tramway design rarely found elsewhere. ¹

Sources

1. (primary) Gaewern Slate Quarry, Corris — Coflein (RCAHMW)
2. (secondary) Braichgoch Slate Mine (Pugh Family Genealogy) — Grant Online

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