Porth Wen Brickworks
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![Porth Wen Brickworks](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/7px-Red_pog.svg.png)
Porth Wen Brickworks first built by Charles E Tidy, is now a disused Victorian brickworks which produced fire bricks, made from quartzite (silica) used to line steel-making furnaces. The substantial remains include a number of buildings and the remains of some of the machinery, but has some damage from sea erosion. The site is a scheduled monument.
Location
The brickworks is in a spectacular location on the western side of Porth Wen (English: White Bay) in the community of Llanbadrig in the north of Anglesey, and is about 2 km (1.2 miles) west of Porth Llechog and 3 km (1.9 miles) north-east of Cemaes.[1][2] The brickworks was established because of the readily available quartzite from the nearby quarries, a major component of fire bricks.[3]
As with much of coastline of Anglesey, the brickworks lies within the area of the Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[4]
Description
Porthwen Brickworks includes quarries, an incline tramroad to the works, and includes a crushing house, moulding shed, drying sheds, and kilns. The brickmaking operation was supported by storage hoppers, engine house, boiler house, chimneys, warehouse and a quay.[5]
Brickmaking started on the site in the mid 19th century, with the tramroad being added later, and the existing buildings being built in the early 20th century.[6] Although the brickworks ceased production in the first half of the 20th century (sources vary on the date; either 1924 or 1949),[1][6] the buildings and much of the equipment remain in situ, and the site shows:
...the visual scars of time and nature on its rural-industrial face as well as just the immense history built into the very bricks and stones
— Ian Banks[7]
Quarries and incline
![text](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Abandoned_drumhouse_at_Graig_Wen_%28geograph_2665132%29.jpg/220px-Abandoned_drumhouse_at_Graig_Wen_%28geograph_2665132%29.jpg)
The brickworks were supplied from two quarries to the north-west of the works.[8][9] A tramroad from one of the quarries leading to a winding house and incline was shown on the 1st edition OS map, 1889.[10]
The winding house includes two lateral walls of mortared walls of rubble masonry supporting a square drive shaft and bearings. The remains of the walls are splayed at the bases and roughly 4.5 m (10 feet) in length, 0.95 m (3 feet) wide up to a height of 3 m (10 feet).[10][11] The drive shaft supported three wheels each with eight spokes. One wheel is roughly 2 m (7 feet) in diameter and the other two are 1.5 m (5 feet) in diameter. The larger wheel was a banding-break and the other two were driving wheels for lowering and raising trucks on the incline. A wooden beam with a control mechanism remains in front the drive shaft. A second similar wooden beam lies nearby but is no longer in position.[10][11][12]
Near the winding house are the remains of a storage shed roughly 4 m (10 feet) by 5 m (20 feet) with walls that supported a gabled roof of profiled sheeting and is probably more recent than the winding house, built in a period of improvement in the early 20th century.[13]
The incline consisted of two tracks which have been removed but the track bed remains with retaining walls of random rubble masonry roughly 1 m (3 feet) deep. The incline was gravity powered.[12][14]
Brickmaking
![text](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Silica_bunkers_at_Porth_Wen_Brick_Works_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1104879.jpg/220px-Silica_bunkers_at_Porth_Wen_Brick_Works_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1104879.jpg)
The incline terminated at a crushing house where pieces of quartzite were broken up with a knapping machine. The pieces were passed down chutes to lower levels for further processing, resulting in a fine powder at the lowest stage. It is likely that the pieces of quartzite were reduced by hammer with the workers wearing iron covered gloves.[1][15][16]
The resulting powder was mixed with lime and water in a pan mill. The resulting paste was then moulded and pressed into bricks in the moulding shed, and then dried out in drying sheds.[1][17][18][19] Originally bricks were made using moulding and wire cutting, but were later made using a press.[16]
After drying, the bricks were then fired in one of the three circular down-draught kilns (also known as beehive or Newcastle kilns), made of brick with iron bands and domed roofs.[20][21][22][1][7]
The brickworks also includes the remains of a boiler house, which contained a Five-drum Stirling boiler, and a small engine house for a steam engine.[23][24]
Storage and distribution
After firing, the bricks were stored in the main building, an impressive two-storey brick building, with gabled ends.[25]
Bricks were then loaded onto ships, using a crane, moored at the loading quay.[26][27]
History
Porth Wen brickworks was designated as a scheduled monument by Cadw in 1986 and classified as a post-medieval industrial brickworks.[28]
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
- ^ a b c d e "Silica Brick Works, Porth Wen". Historic Environment Record (HER). Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT). GAT PRN 3562. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via archwilio (online database of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts).
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- ^ "Section 3: Cemaes to Amlwch Port" (PDF) (Map). www.anglesey.gov.uk. Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path Project. 2005. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ Jones, S. (1997). Coastal Erosion Survey Anglesey (PDF) (Report). Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT). p. 14. GAT Report No. 251. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ Grant, Maria; Parker, Sally (April 2014). State of the AONB Report for Anglesey (PDF). Isle of Anglesey County Council (Report). Land Use Consultants. p. 11. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ Gwyn, David (2006). Gwynedd: Inheriting a Revolution; the Archaeology of Industrialisation in North-West Wales. Phillimore & Company Limited. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-1-86077-432-4.
- ^ a b Hill, J. (1 March 2004). "Porthwen Brickworks; Porth Wen Silica Brickworks (40736)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ a b Banks, Ian (20 December 2004). "Porth Wen Brickworks, Anglesey". Urban Realm. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Silica Quarry (40737)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Silica Quarry; Dinorben Quarry (528)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "Winding House at Porth Wen, Bryn Llewelyn". heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk. National Trust. MNA133966. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Porthwen Brickworks: Winding Engine House (40740)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Porthwen Brickworks: Railway Incline (40738)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Storage shed at Porth Wen, Bryn Llewelyn". heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk. National Trust. MNA133968. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Incline at Porth Wen, Bryn Llewelyn". heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk. National Trust. MNA133967. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Crusher House (40739)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ a b Jones, Wil. "Porth Wen Brickworks". www.anglesey-hidden-gem.com. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Moulding Shed and Chimney (40747)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Drying Sheds (40745)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Chimney (40748)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Kiln (1) (40742)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Kiln (2) (40743)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Kiln (3) (40744)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Stirling Boiler House (40749)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Engine House (40741)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Building (40746)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Crane (40751)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Porthwen Brickworks: Loading Quay (40750)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ Cadw (27 October 1986). "Porth Wen Brickworks (AN109)". National Historic Assets of Wales.
Further reading
- Jones, William (May 2015). Anglesey Hidden Gem (kindle). ASIN B00XJQ6C2M.
- Summers, Neil. "Porth Wen – An abandoned brickworks on Anglesey". www.penmorfa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
External links
- "Map 1 – Cemaes" (PDF) (Map). visitanglesey.co.uk. 1:25,000. Isle of Anglesey County Council. – map of part of Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- "Map B Ynys Môn – Isle of Anglesey" (PDF). Wales Coast Path. Natural Resources Wales. – includes Maps 13 to 28 covering the coast of Anglesey
- Jenkins, Phil. "Porth Wen Silica Brickworks, Anglesea". industrialgwent.co.uk. – extensive gallery of photos from July 2015
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