Maesygamfa Quarry

Overview

A slate quarry near Aberangell, working the Broad Vein on a small scale from the 1860s before being properly developed from 1886 by quarry manager Edward Hurst Davies and his capital-providing partner Frederick Walton, until closure in 1909.

History

A small Broad Vein working existed at Maesygamfa Farm from the 1860s, but only on a very modest scale. Proper commercial development began in 1886, when Edward Hurst Davies -- already working two miles away as mine agent at the newly established Gartheiniog quarry, and previously a quarryman and manager at nearby Hendreddu under Dennis Bradwell -- partnered with Frederick Walton to lease and develop the abandoned workings. Walton, the inventor of linoleum, provided the capital; Davies managed operations on the ground. The quarry, along with Hendreddu and Gartheiniog, was served by branches of the Hendre-Ddu Tramway, originally built in 1874 by Sir Edmund Buckley to serve Hendreddu alone but later extended to reach both Gartheiniog and Maesygamfa; a fourth quarry, Talymeirin, was worked briefly in the 1860s and connected via Maesygamfa's own tramway, though it did not become a genuine commercial operation until taken over by Inigo Jones in 1913. The Walton-Davies partnership at Maesygamfa was dissolved in 1900, after which Davies continued as sole owner until the quarry's closure in 1909; the lease itself was formally relinquished in December 1911. Davies went on, after Jacob Bradwell's 1908 death, to purchase Hendreddu quarry and its own tramway outright, restarting production there in 1914.

Workings

Worked the Broad Vein, producing slab rather than roofing slate -- used for products such as billiard tables, floors, channels, window sills and gravestones -- carried out on special trestle wagons over a branch of the Hendre-Ddu Tramway.

Closure

Closed in 1909 under Edward Hurst Davies's sole ownership; the lease was formally relinquished in December 1911.

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.

• Frederick Walton, the inventor of linoleum, provided the capital for Edward Hurst Davies to lease and develop the abandoned Maesygamfa workings from 1886; the partnership was dissolved in 1900, after which Davies continued as sole owner until the quarry's 1909 closure. ¹
• The quarry produced slab rather than roofing slate -- used for billiard tables, floors, channels, window sills and gravestones -- carried on special trestle wagons over a branch of the Hendre-Ddu Tramway. ²
• A fourth quarry, Talymeirin, was worked briefly in the 1860s and connected via Maesygamfa's own tramway, but did not become a genuine commercial operation until taken over by Inigo Jones in 1913. ²

Sources

1. (secondary) Edward Hurst Davies — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Hendre-Ddu Tramway — Wikipedia

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