Copper Mine.Parys Mountain

Fusion_UK

Parys Mountain – in the Welsh language Mynydd Parys – is located south ofAmlwch which is in north east Anglesey.
The copper from the mine at Parys Mountain dominated the world's markets during the 1780s, when the mine was allegededly the largest in the world. It was used to sheath the admiralty's wooden ships of war in order to prevent the growth of seaweed and barnaclesand to prevent boring by worms. This increased the speed and manoeuvrability of the vessels, although it is said that Parys Mountain copper was also sold to the French for use by their fleet.







Initially ore was worked on the surface from shallow shafts, next by open-pit mining and finally underground from adits or from shafts. The ore was broken into small lumps by hand, the best ore being shipped to Lancashireor to the Lower Swansea valley in South Wales through the port of Swansea for smelting. Copper was concentrated and extracted from the remainder using kilns and furnaces on site.



It was also discovered that purer metal could be obtained efficiently, although in small amounts, by its precipitation from drainage water with scrap iron in purpose-built ponds. Associated with the mines, important chemical industries were established on the Mountain based on by-products such as ochre pigments, sulphur, vitriol and alum.
The eighteenth century miners recognised that they were following in the steps of much earlier workers, an observation that was then linked to the discovery locally of copper ingots bearing Roman inscriptions. Excavations in 2002 enabled sub-surface debris to be dated to nearly four thousand years old, (the early Bronze Age), and access has also been regained to the sealed underground workings of the Parys mine revealing evidence for this ancient mining. Parys Mountain is thus an addition to the very few sites in Britain where there is evidence for the prehistoric beginnings of the British metal mining industry.
Rowland Pugh, a local miner, was the first to strike copper on 2 March1768 and was rewarded with a bottle of whisky and a rent-free house for his lifetime.





Thanks to WIKIPEDIA for the information given here.

Stan

Just saw this on the Restoration programme, I thought your white balance was off but it really does have a colour caste to it. What an amazing place.

Thanks for sharing

Cheers
Stan

Fusion_UK

Stan wrote:

Just saw this on the Restoration programme, I thought your white balance was off but it really does have a colour caste to it. What an amazing place.

Thanks for sharing

Cheers
Stan

The colours are accurate, the place itself has some strange natural colours. Thanks for looking. Ian