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Bodcoll (Gertrude) Lead Mine (United Kingdom)
This site is most easily reached by way of the forestry roads that start at “The Arch”
Reputedly first started in the 17th century, the mines main phase of activity was from about 1870 when it was worked with some vigour by the Robert Girdwood and George Green partnership. Together they were manufacturing and selling automated lead dressing machinery, George Green owned the Cambrian Foundry in Alexandra Road, Aberystwyth where they were manufactured. The partnership worked many mine in the area and used them as a sort of showcase for their dressing machinery.
The deep adit of the mine was a fine stone arched level bearing the inscription “R Girdwood Esq 1872”, unfortunately now lost due the laying of the new forestry track. The site has also been much disturbed due to the removal of material for this.
A leat can be discerned that must have supplied water to a waterwheel driven crusher and the dressing machinery, of Girdwood’s deep adit there is no sign.
Higher up the hillside a significant spoil heap indicates an adit which was blocked when I first visited the site in the 1980s, however in 2009 I partially cleared the entrance allowing it to drain.
Driven as a crosscut it cuts a barren vein which it follows to the left until a collapse of material that must emanate from the open stope on the hillside above.
Slightly higher up the hillside and further over is an open level of impressive dimensions, over six feet wide and eight feet high in places, probably indicating the use of rock drills and dynamite. Unfortunately, it leads nowhere and ends after about a hundred yards.
There are also quite a few other collapsed levels in the area, but the size of their spoil heaps indicate only trials.
(RF 2009)
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Bodcoll User Album You are welcome to use this album for uploading photographs of Bodcoll.
Last modified 20/09/2010 15:15:05 by mikehiggins.
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Last modified 03/02/2008 21:22:58 by no longer a registered user.Google Earth Map of Bodcoll Lead Mine
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