Ratgoed
Encyclopedia
Ratgoed Quarry was the northernmost of the slate quarries
served by the Corris Railway
. It is located one mile north of Aberllefenni
in Gwynedd
, north Wales
, at the head of the isolated Cwm Ceiswyn.
In 1864 the Ratgoed Tramway opened, a gauge horse worked tramway connecting the remote quarry with the newly opened Corris Railway
at Aberllefenni
. This prompted significant expansion work at the quarry.
The quarry continued to run profitably through 1878, but in 1879 slate prices dropped throughout the industry and small, remote concerns like Ratgoed suffered in the downturn. The quarry continued production in the 1880s but at a reduced annual output. Fortunes revived in the early 1890s but towards the end of the century the accessible supplies of more profitable roofing slates at Ratgoed were running dry and the owners attempted to sell the business in 1897. By 1900 the remaining workforce was dismissed.
The quarry briefly re-opened in 1901 but had to close again in 1903 as prices for slab slate fell again. In 1907 another restart was attempted and by 1911 more than 30 men were employed at Ratgoed. The advent of the First World War a year later again brought troubled times to the quarry and in 1918 only 6 men were working.
The quarry struggled on after the war. In 1924 the local company of Hall Harber & Thomas Ltd. purchased Ratgoed. They also owned the Llwyngwern
quarry about 5 miles to the south. Initially the new company doubled the workforce, but this declined steadily through the late 1920s. In 1930, control of the quarry returned to the Lewis family who had owned it prior to 1924.
The quarry struggled on through the 1930s and the years of the Second World War, but in 1946 the quarry finally shut for good.
The former quarry owner's house, Plas Ratgoed, is the only remaining habitable building in the hamlet of Ratgoed, although nearby the houses Ffynnon Badarn, Dolgoed and Ceiswyn remain in use.
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
served by the Corris Railway
Corris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
. It is located one mile north of Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, north 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...
, at the head of the isolated Cwm Ceiswyn.
History
The original workings at Ratgoed date back to before 1840 when they are mentioned in the will of Horatio Nelson Hughes. In the late 1840s the quarry closed for a brief time, before re-opening in 1851. The quarry expanded in the 1850s and was being run by John Rowlands under the auspices of the Alltgoed Consols, a partnership that also owned the nearby Gaerwen and Braich Goch quarries. During the early 1860s shareholder discontent lead to the dismissal of Rowlands, with the quarry now being run by the original owner Horatio Nelson Hughes.In 1864 the Ratgoed Tramway opened, a gauge horse worked tramway connecting the remote quarry with the newly opened Corris Railway
Corris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
at Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
. This prompted significant expansion work at the quarry.
The quarry continued to run profitably through 1878, but in 1879 slate prices dropped throughout the industry and small, remote concerns like Ratgoed suffered in the downturn. The quarry continued production in the 1880s but at a reduced annual output. Fortunes revived in the early 1890s but towards the end of the century the accessible supplies of more profitable roofing slates at Ratgoed were running dry and the owners attempted to sell the business in 1897. By 1900 the remaining workforce was dismissed.
The quarry briefly re-opened in 1901 but had to close again in 1903 as prices for slab slate fell again. In 1907 another restart was attempted and by 1911 more than 30 men were employed at Ratgoed. The advent of the First World War a year later again brought troubled times to the quarry and in 1918 only 6 men were working.
The quarry struggled on after the war. In 1924 the local company of Hall Harber & Thomas Ltd. purchased Ratgoed. They also owned the Llwyngwern
Llwyngwern
Llwyngwern was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, built to serve the hamlet of Pantperthog and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, where a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Londonderry lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in Montgomeryshire, the station was across the Afon Dulas in...
quarry about 5 miles to the south. Initially the new company doubled the workforce, but this declined steadily through the late 1920s. In 1930, control of the quarry returned to the Lewis family who had owned it prior to 1924.
The quarry struggled on through the 1930s and the years of the Second World War, but in 1946 the quarry finally shut for good.
The former quarry owner's house, Plas Ratgoed, is the only remaining habitable building in the hamlet of Ratgoed, although nearby the houses Ffynnon Badarn, Dolgoed and Ceiswyn remain in use.