Minera Limeworks
Encyclopedia
The Minera Limeworks were extensive lime
quarries
and kiln
s at Minera
in Wrexham
, Wales
. It was located at , near the villages of Gwynfryn
, Minera
, and Coedpoeth
and was locally referred to as The Calch.
Limeburning at Minera is recorded from as early as 1620 but the Minera Lime Company was established in 1852. The total output from the Minera area quarries was estimated, in 1859, to be around 300,000 tons, with 200,000 tons of this converted to lime.
The Minera Lime Company became a limited company in 1865, and this prompted some heavy cash injection into the works. Using this money, the company erected a "Hoffmann kiln
". Originally destined for brickmaking, it was soon converted to limeburning. This kiln still exists and is one of three that were purpose-built for lime burning left in the UK: another is located at Langcliffe
in Yorkshire, another is located at Llanymynech
Limeworks.
The quarries had their own steam locomotive
and hundred of open coal wagons and closed lime wagons at its peak. Hornby Railways
and Dapol
both have model wagons detailing the Minera Lime Co. It also had extensive kilns, still there to this day.
The works closed in 1972 and the Wrexham and Minera Branch
railway lines were pulled up at around the same time.
For many years since closure, the quarry has served as storage for road building materials, and a tipple for them was built, but was soon abandoned. In 2004-05 the quarry was subject to a clean up operation, where all the materials were taken and the whole area flattened. Tarmac
(a supplier of materials to the building trade) who have taken interest in the site have been taking several core samples and have apparently found the quarry to still be a viable source of lime.
Lafarge Aggregates currently own the site, following their take over of Redland plc
and have erected large amounts of fencing around most of the site as well as signage advising to stick to signed footpaths, restricting movement around the quarry for health and safety purposes. Lafarge have no interest in resuming quarrying operations at the site here.
The Minera Quarry Trust is currently in negotiation with Lafarge about the future of the site. Minera Quarry Trust was established in 2005 with the explicit aim of conserving the former quarry site for the benefit of the public. Since then the trust has made significant progress in developing a plan of action for the site that encompasses both short term improvements and long term sustainability for the site. The Trust is working in partnership with North Wales Wildlife Trust
to develop the project and has received political endorsement from Wrexham County Borough Council
.
The quarry contains entrances to the important caves Ogof Dydd Byraf and Ogof Llyn Du whose passages come very close to Ogof Cefn-y-Gist and Ogof Llyn Parc
. starting in the quarry linked to many underground rivers.
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s at Minera
Minera
Minera is a small village, and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brighton and large areas of farmland, had a...
in Wrexham
Wrexham (county borough)
Wrexham is a county borough centred on the town of Wrexham in north-east Wales. The county borough has a population of 130,200 inhabitants. Just under half of the population live either within the town of Wrexham or its surrounding conurbation of urban villages. The remainder living to the south...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was located at , near the villages of Gwynfryn
Gwynfryn, Wrexham
Gwynfryn is a small mountain village in the community of Minera in Wrexham county borough, Wales. Its name, originally that of the village chapel, is formed from the Welsh words bryn, "hill", and gwyn, "white": "white hill"...
, Minera
Minera
Minera is a small village, and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brighton and large areas of farmland, had a...
, and Coedpoeth
Coedpoeth
Coedpoeth is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.-History:...
and was locally referred to as The Calch.
History
The Minera Limeworks were once the largest lime workings in the north of Wales.Limeburning at Minera is recorded from as early as 1620 but the Minera Lime Company was established in 1852. The total output from the Minera area quarries was estimated, in 1859, to be around 300,000 tons, with 200,000 tons of this converted to lime.
The Minera Lime Company became a limited company in 1865, and this prompted some heavy cash injection into the works. Using this money, the company erected a "Hoffmann kiln
Hoffmann kiln
The Hoffmann kiln is a series of batch process kilns. Hoffmann kilns are the most common kiln used in production of bricks and some other ceramic products...
". Originally destined for brickmaking, it was soon converted to limeburning. This kiln still exists and is one of three that were purpose-built for lime burning left in the UK: another is located at Langcliffe
Langcliffe
Langcliffe is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England it is situated to the immediate north of Settle.Notable residents or former residents of this village include authors Leah Fleming and Marina Fiorato-External links:...
in Yorkshire, another is located at Llanymynech
Llanymynech
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales and Shropshire, England about 9 miles north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks"....
Limeworks.
The quarries had their own steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
and hundred of open coal wagons and closed lime wagons at its peak. Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
and Dapol
Dapol
Dapol Ltd is a Welsh model railway manufacturer based in Chirk, Wales. The factory where design and manufacturing take place is just over the border in England.The Dapol trading name is known for its model railway products in N and OO gauges.-History:...
both have model wagons detailing the Minera Lime Co. It also had extensive kilns, still there to this day.
The works closed in 1972 and the Wrexham and Minera Branch
Wrexham and Minera Branch
The Wrexham and Minera Railway or Wrexham and Minera Branch was a railway line in North Wales between the town of Wrexham, the village of Brymbo where it served the Brymbo Steelworks, and the lead mines and limeworks at Minera. A further branch ran from Brymbo to Coed Talon, where it connected with...
railway lines were pulled up at around the same time.
Current usage
Blasting and quarrying of limestone, used for road building materials, continued at the site until 1993.For many years since closure, the quarry has served as storage for road building materials, and a tipple for them was built, but was soon abandoned. In 2004-05 the quarry was subject to a clean up operation, where all the materials were taken and the whole area flattened. Tarmac
Tarmac (company)
Tarmac is a company that is based in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and operates internationally. The company produces aggregates and road-surfacing materials, including tarmacadam, from which the company's name is derived...
(a supplier of materials to the building trade) who have taken interest in the site have been taking several core samples and have apparently found the quarry to still be a viable source of lime.
Lafarge Aggregates currently own the site, following their take over of Redland plc
Redland plc
Redland plc was a leading British building materials business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
and have erected large amounts of fencing around most of the site as well as signage advising to stick to signed footpaths, restricting movement around the quarry for health and safety purposes. Lafarge have no interest in resuming quarrying operations at the site here.
The Minera Quarry Trust is currently in negotiation with Lafarge about the future of the site. Minera Quarry Trust was established in 2005 with the explicit aim of conserving the former quarry site for the benefit of the public. Since then the trust has made significant progress in developing a plan of action for the site that encompasses both short term improvements and long term sustainability for the site. The Trust is working in partnership with North Wales Wildlife Trust
North Wales Wildlife Trust
The North Wales Wildlife Trust is the Wildlife Trust for North Wales. Established in 1963 it has over 5,000 members...
to develop the project and has received political endorsement from Wrexham County Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough Council is the governing body for Wrexham , one of the administrative subdivisions of Wales.- Governance and political composition :...
.
The quarry contains entrances to the important caves Ogof Dydd Byraf and Ogof Llyn Du whose passages come very close to Ogof Cefn-y-Gist and Ogof Llyn Parc
Ogof Llyn Parc
Ogof Llyn Parc usually known as Pool Park is a cave on Esclusham Mountain that has a 100m entrance shaft, normally descended by winch to the mine levels. Further caving and two ladders reaches the natural cave levels in which there are streamways....
. starting in the quarry linked to many underground rivers.