Ynys y Pandy

[jlancasterd]

R8+DMR+Vario-Elmar 21-35mm

Ynys-y-Pandy.jpg

A derelict 19th Century slate-splitting mill near where I live

[elansprint72]

John,
Impressive structure, where exactly? Ynys = island, pandy = factory, iirc.

Cheers,
Pete.

[jlancasterd]

Originally Posted by elansprint72

John,
Impressive structure, where exactly? Ynys = island, pandy = factory, iirc.

Cheers,
Pete.

Hi Pete

It's in Cwm Stradllyn, OS map reference 549434 (on the OL18 Harlech map). I'm not sure about the derivation of the name, but the area is quite marshy in places and there were certainly turburies (places where turf was dug for fuel) in the area until fairly recently, which indicates that it must have been pretty wet for hundreds of years. However, as you can see, it is actually built on a rocky bluff, which may be the reason for it being an 'Ynys'.

It was actually an early exercise in labour-saving - the slate slabs came in by tramway at the top floor level (see the photo of the opposite side, below, the high stone embankment can be seen on the right) These slabs were sawn into usable lumps which passed down to the next floor for splitting and the finished slate went out by a lower tramway which you can just see at the base of the stone embankment. The considerable amount of waste went down into the basement and was trammed out from there. The whole mill was driven by a big (circa 30' diameter) water wheel mounted across the centre of the building.

Unfortunately the Prince of Wales Quarry on Moel Hebog, which supplied the mill with raw material, wasn't located on the best slate veins and the whole enterprise failed after only a few years.

Incidentally the lens was a 28-90 Vario-Elmar rather than the 21-35 - a senior moment there...!

Ynys-y-Pandy-2.jpg

[wda]

John, a stark reminder of former industrial times. Thank you also for the additional information. It all adds to the interest generated by your pictures.

David

[michael_boylan]

Originally Posted by elansprint72

Ynys = island,

Ah, is that so? Welsh contrives to look difficult but it needs a bit of teasing out to understand. It's the same word in Irish, I just never noticed before. Some might be familiar with Yeat's poem "The Lake isle of Innisfree"

Thanks for that

[jlancasterd]

Originally Posted by wda

John, a stark reminder of former industrial times. Thank you also for the additional information. It all adds to the interest generated by your pictures.

David

Thanks David - glad you appreciated it!

Incidentally the mill is in Cwm Ystradllyn - I forgot the intial 'Y'