I visited here with Walsh and as usual we had a fantastic visit but not without drama. I found Moel Fferna to be a bit like Penarth, cold and unfriendly it was so huge that taking pictures and video was very difficult due to every lumin being sucked into the chasmic spaces and dark slate.
here is some video that I took although due to there being very little I have padded it with some earaching techno music
but check out walsh's carbide headlamp in the video
http://youtu.be/DKkaAixqtOs
History
Early workings tended to be in surface pits, but as the work progressed downwards, it became necessary to work underground. This was often accompanied by the driving of one or more adits to gain direct access to a Level. In some rare instances, such as here (Moel Fferna), there is no trace of surface workings and the workings were entiely underground.
Moel Frerna has chambers which follow the slate vein, connected via a series of horizontal Floors (or 'Levels'). The chambers vary in size and are divided by 'pillars' or walls which support the roof. The floors are connected by 'Inclines' which used wedge-shaped trolleys to move trucks between levels.
At Moel Fferna a team could produce up to 35 tons of finished slate a week. In 1877 they received about 7 shillings a ton for this. After paying wages for the manager, clerks and 'trammers' the company could make a clear profit of twice this amount. This system was not finally abolished until after the Second World War.
getting in was fun via an electron ladder that kept catching the eye hooks on my boots.
The cog and pipeline
A huge chamber, the size of these spaces has to be seen to be believed
shonkey bridge
et moi
some really old graff....Im sorry miss jackson Oooooh!
Wild woodies
top of an incline, we found what was once a wooden winch
Walsh lining one up...check out the roof which was one of its best features
Tunnels off in all directions, Moel Fferna was awesome in its massiveness
cold and unfriendly
The way out
Thanks for looking
check the video..earplugs advisory
http://youtu.be/DKkaAixqtOs
.