Drawing by Falcon Hildred
Exposed chambers - Foty and Bowydd quarry, 1977
Pencil, ink and watercolour on paper
At Blaenau Ffestiniog slate was mined in large underground chambers following the steeply dipping slate beds, leaving pillars of rock to hold up the roof. These chambers have been almost totally obscured by modern working, but here the top has been taken off, revealing the subterranean tunnels and chambers, including one tunnel sliced through laterally to appear as though in a drawn section. To the left are the ruins of Maenofferen Cottages and Quarrybank House (in the trees), which once accommodated workers and the manager of Maenofferen quarries. The stone pillar was one of a line that once supported wooden troughs bringing water to one of the slate mills, which were powered by waterwheels.
Ref. FHA 01_42