History in Structure

Incline, Drumhouses and Counter Balances ('A' Incline)

A Grade II Listed Building in Llanddeiniolen, Gwynedd

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.1211 / 53°7'15"N

Longitude: -4.112 / 4°6'43"W

OS Eastings: 258762

OS Northings: 360299

OS Grid: SH587602

Mapcode National: GBR 5Q.79MQ

Mapcode Global: WH54M.TT35

Plus Code: 9C5Q4VCQ+C6

Entry Name: Incline, Drumhouses and Counter Balances ('A' Incline)

Listing Date: 4 November 1999

Last Amended: 4 November 1999

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 22653

Building Class: Industrial

ID on this website: 300022653

Location: Incline rising steeply to the north-east of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry Workshops, running initially south-eastwards and then just to the south-west of the former quarryworkers' barracks turning

County: Gwynedd

Town: Caernarfon

Community: Llanddeiniolen

Community: Llanddeiniolen

Locality: Gilfach Ddu

Traditional County: Caernarfonshire

Tagged with: Architectural structure

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Llanberis

History

The Dinorwic Quarry was first established in 1787, taking over existing workings in the area, the first incline being built in 1789. By the 1830s there was a tramway system on each terrace of the quarry, steam locomotives being introduced in the 1870s. The eventual scale of the quarry was such that its output of c100,000 tons p.a. in the late 1890s put in on a par with Penrhyn, representing almost a quarter of the total production of Welsh slate. The quarry finally closed in 1969. The lower 4 pitches of this incline (the 'A' incline) brought material down from Mills Level of the quarry to the Padarn Railway loading platforms, the sharp turn between Drumhouses A 2 and A3 marking a replacement of earlier inclines which ran straight down at this point. The upper pitches (not included on this List) have been modified to carry cables for the Llanberis hydro-electric company and the drumhouses demolished.

Exterior

Drumhouses of local rubblestone and slate-slab construction, the latter predominating, each with a gable-ended graded slate roof, that to drumhouse 2 in poorest condition with a number of slates missing at time of Survey. Each drumhouse retains a winding drum and cabling, the double track with rails to the incline itself remaining almost completely in situ. The lower drumhouses (1 and 2) have brakesman's cabins alongside, well-built with fireplaces, the latter having a contiguous office with squint window offering a view of approaching wagons. At this point a stone-walled path leading from Dinorwic down to Llanberis is carried over the incline by means of a cast-iron girder bridge, while the wall bounding the track on its south-western side has heavy slate slabs cantilevered out to provide shelter for the men handling the wagons.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a remarkably well-preserved incline with drumhouses and counter balances forming an integral part of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry complex and particularly important for the impressive physical evidence it provides for the distribution of slate away from the quarry.

Scheduled Ancient Monument (177).

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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Other nearby listed buildings

  • II Offis Fawr (now Woodcraft Centre)
    Located immediately to the east end of the north range of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry workshop complex, the building is situated high above the workshops on a quarried outcrop; flight of slate st
  • II Locomotive Shed
    Situated to the north-east of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry Workshops, the locomotive shed is located immediately north of the entrance to the Glan-y-Bala tunnel which once provided a connection to
  • II Quarryworkers' Barracks
    Spectacularly and now remotely located off the 'A' Incline of the Dinorwic Slate Quarry just north of the point where it turns abruptly to the north-east; the path between the 2 rows of barracks runs
  • I Dinorwic Slate Quarry Workshops (Welsh Slate Museum Buildings)
    Located at the south-east end of Llyn Padarn to the east of Llanberis, the quarry workshops sit at the foot of the vast workings of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry; the immediately surrounding land i
  • II Hafodty
    Situated in remote wooded position at the end of a driveway leading off the track/road leading down from Dinorwic to Llanberis; driveway has drystone slate slab wall with slab-on-edge coping.
  • II Incline and Drumhouses
    Incline and drumhouses rising from the old floor (now car park of the Welsh Slate Museum) to the top level of the former Vivian Slate Quarry; massive slate retaining wall located immediately to the no
  • II Bron Elidir including surrounding wall and steps to Dinorwic Slate Quarry
    Located in remote position at the end of a track running off the main track/road leading down from Dinorwic towards Llanberis; a curved flight of slate steps with retaining walls rises from the track
  • II Locomotive Shed
    Situated to the north-west of the former Dinorwic Slate Quarry Workshops, immediately alongside the former Padarn Railway (now the Llanberis Lake Railway) between the old quarry hospital and the moder

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