Dinorwic research

[ilt]

Over on anti-social media (faceplant I beleive) 'fluffy5518' has over the past few years posted items of specific interest to people who want to look a little deeper than the usual run round with a cellphone and snap the standard two photos of Anglesey Barracks.

For over ten years he has been visiting a couple of times a year and whislt puzzling how things fit together he started trying to trace development from the historic Ordnance Survey maps. Plus his many photographs (FAR more than are included in the walk through albums). These are his thoughts, not a factual account taken from a recently discovered set of company ledgers. Recently he has been revising these jottings to make them more consistent and to incorporate input from people like Graham Isherwood. They are all stored on flicker so easily accessible to anyone who uses that. He won't be writing a book and as new information comes to light he will be continuing to revise them as necessary.

I haven't looked at them but knowing the effort that has gone into them...and knowing he won't do it himself, I asked him if I could mention them on here.

 

[ilt]

In list form here are the links to the flickr albums

Dinorwic Slate Quarry - All Departments - Maps
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - All Departments - Odds, not part of 'walk-through' series)
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Allt Ddu and Village Tramway Route Odds REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich C2 Incline Pitches
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich C3 Incline Pitches
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Pen Garret REVISED 15/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Australia REVISED 27/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Taylor REVISED 18/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Egypt REVISED 17/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Roller Braich REVISED 20/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Sinc Bach Braich REVISED 22/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Panws REVISED 22/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Lernion REVISED 25/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Virginia REVISED 14/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Jubilee REVISED 14/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Albion REVISED 15/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Braich Department - Ponc Refail REVISED 17/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Dinorwic Quarry - Views REVISED 11/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Twll y Crowc REVISED 7/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Mills REVISED 21/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Tan y Bwlch REVISED 25/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Roller Garret REVISED 8/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Swallow REVISED 8/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Tophet REVISED 26/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Alice REVISED 9/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Aberdaron REVISED 19/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Llangristiolus REVISED 18/09/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Twll y Mwg REVISED 27/9/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Twll y Mwg (Lower) REVISED 24/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Sinc Twll Clawdd REVISED 14/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Penrhydd REVISED 11/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Penrhydd Bach REVISED 10/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Twll Dwndwr REVISED 7/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Abyssinia REVISED 31/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Garret Department - Ponc Sinc Penrhydd and Llwybr Llwynog (Fox's Path) REVISED 13/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Matilda Department - Ponc Dyffryn, including Ponc Princess May REVISED 30/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Matilda Department - Ponc Harriet REVISED 23/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Matilda Department - Ponc Morgans REVISED 3/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Matilda Department - Sinc Galed Drainage Adits REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Matilda Department - Ponc Mona REVISED 2/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Quarry Hospital REVISED 11/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Ponc Isaf Braich REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Ponc Pen Dyphwys REVISED 20/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department (Old Workings) - Ponc Tre Newydd REVISED 6/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department (Old Workings) - Ponc Robin Raber including the A2 Victoria Drumhouse REVISED 25/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Ponc New York/New Dyphwys REVISED 23/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria/Matilda Departments - Ponc California/Ponc Sinc Harriet REVISED 22/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Footpath and Barracks Below Ponc Robin Raber REVISED 12/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Spooner & Sons Survey Route REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Ponc Moses REVISED 3/10/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Victoria Department - Ponc Wyllt REVISED 24/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V1 REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V2 REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V3 REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V4 REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V5 REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V5a REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V6 REVISED 4/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - V7 REVISED 8/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Vivian Department - Vivian Quarry Views REVISED 3/12/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Wellington Department - Ponc Pant y Ceubren/Fawr REVISED 26/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Wellington Department - Ponc Offis REVISED 27/11/25
Dinorwic Slate Quarry - Wellington Department - Ponc Sinc Pant Y Ceubren/Sinc Fawr REVISED 28/12/25

Comments are welcomed.

Iain

 

[BertyBasset]

That is a great resource. At Iain's suggestion, I've created a clickable pdf version of the above list in the Library - a link to which appears in the Publications section of the Dinorwic database entry. (plus direct link at bottom of Description section)

Dinorwig - Buddlepit Mine Database

buddlepit.co.uk

 

[cantclimbtom]

On the maps there are a lot of places marked as "Ponc" is that an abbreviation?

 

[BertyBasset]

Normally in Welsh it equates to hillock or banc, but in the context of slate quarrying, it appears to mean terrace and occasionally tip. Sinc (Sink) is used for the actual pits. Great little overview on the BMC website. https://thebmc.co.uk/en/welsh-names-at-dinorwig-quarries

 

[cantclimbtom]

Tip makes sense, thank you
Edit: seen the BMC doc says Level

 

[ilt]

I'd translate it as a gallery when used in slate quarrying. Whilst terrace and level would seem the same, in my mind they refer to the flat part rather than the working face (so a 2D feature rather than the actual 3D feature). Ponciau being named after famous events, significant people etc.

Sinc has always confused me more as the only place it would 'fit' would be the bottom of a pit (or I suppose the whole of the pit) but if talking about the whole then twll would be more appropriate. So I think sinc really equates to quarry......in the sense that each sinc is a quarry in it's own right. Sinciau naming often refers to size or position.