Gartheiniog Quarry

Overview

A small slate quarry a mile west of Aberangell, working the Narrow Vein from 1880 until 1937 through a remarkably fast turnover of owners, none of whom made it profitable for long.

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History

Sir Edmund Buckley granted exploration permission near Gartheiniog Farm in 1873, but it was not until 1880 that John Jenkins and James Williams of Aberystwyth leased the land and began quarrying. The Gartheiniog Slate Company Limited was formed in 1881 to work it commercially, and by 1884 ownership had passed to the farm's owner, Henry Owen, and Henry Mallory, an Englishman who had relocated to the area, with Edward Hurst Davies (later notable at the nearby Hendreddu quarry) serving as mine agent. An adit opened in 1886 allowed underground extraction of the Narrow Vein -- the highest-quality slate in the Abercorris Group -- and the quarry was connected to the Hendre Ddu Tramway from 1887, supplying slate slabs to the Inigo Jones enamelling works at Groeslon between at least 1909 and 1914. Owen died in 1896, after which Mallory ran the quarry alone until his own death in 1915. Post-war housing demand prompted the 1920 formation of the Standard Housing Company, which bought both Gartheiniog and the neighbouring Llangynog quarry along with timber plantations, but the venture failed within eighteen months. Gertrude Russon, wife of William Clayton Russon, acquired the quarry in 1922 and struggled financially with it; operations closed in 1927, briefly reopened, and failed again in 1931. George Hadrill, a former wartime fighter pilot, leased the site from 1932 to 1933 and added an enamelling works of his own, but this too failed by 1934. Bowley's Quarries Ltd, a subsidiary of a London oil-products firm, purchased Gartheiniog in 1935 and worked it until its final closure in October 1937.

Geology

The Narrow Vein, the highest-quality slate in the Abercorris Group, worked underground from an adit opened in 1886.

Workings

Initial surface quarrying gave way to underground working after an adit opened in 1886, extracting the Narrow Vein; output travelled out via the Hendre Ddu Tramway to Aberangell station from 1887.

Closure

Closed for the final time in October 1937 under Bowley's Quarries Ltd, having already failed and reopened repeatedly under a rapid succession of earlier owners.

What remains

No standing quarry buildings are known to survive on site. Several of the quarry's narrow-gauge wagons survived its closure: they were transferred in 1975 to the Meirion Mill Railway at Dinas Mawddwy, where some remained as static exhibits as of 2016.

Wagons from the quarry survive off-site at the Meirion Mill Railway, Dinas Mawddwy (transferred 1975); no on-site quarry structures are known to survive.

Related mines

• Cwm Ebol Quarry — Both were owned by the same man, John Jenkins of Aberystwyth, by 1883.
• Hendreddu Quarry — Edward Hurst Davies served as mine agent at Gartheiniog before becoming notable at the neighbouring Hendreddu quarry.
• Maesygamfa Quarry — Edward Hurst Davies was working as mine agent at Gartheiniog when he partnered to establish Maesygamfa.

Recorded claims

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

• The quarry worked the Narrow Vein, the highest-quality slate vein in the Abercorris Group, supplying slate slabs to the Inigo Jones enamelling works at Groeslon between at least 1909 and 1914. ¹
• The quarry passed through at least seven distinct ownerships between 1873 and 1937 -- including the 1920 Standard Housing Company venture (failed within eighteen months), Gertrude Russon's 1922-1931 tenure, and former fighter pilot George Hadrill's short-lived 1932-1934 attempt to add an enamelling works of his own -- rarely remaining profitable for long under any of them. ¹
• Several of the quarry's narrow-gauge wagons were transferred in 1975 to the Meirion Mill Railway at Dinas Mawddwy, with some still present as static exhibits as of 2016. ²
• Located at about 52.687 N, 3.744 W. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) Gartheiniog quarry — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Hendre-Ddu Tramway — Wikipedia

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 3 September 2026