Location | |
---|---|
Location in Powys | |
Location | near Corris |
County | Powys) |
Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 52°39′17″N 3°51′02″W / 52.6546°N 3.8505°W grid reference SH 74841 07964 |
Production | |
Products | Slate |
Type | Quarry |
History | |
Opened | 1787 |
Active | 1787–1906; 1914–1971 |
Closed | 1971 |
Braichgoch slate mine (often called Braich Goch quarry) was a large slate mine located in Corris Uchaf, north Wales. It operated continuously from 1787 until its closure in 1970[1] (some[which?] sources give 1971), apart from a hiatus in the 1900s. Most of the surface workings of the quarry were removed as part of a road widening and landscaping scheme in 1983.
Part of the underground mine workings are now open to the public as the King Arthur's Labyrinth tourist attraction (a fantasy journey into Arthurian legend taking place on one level of the mine) and the newly launched Corris Mine Explorers. Through the subterranean Corris Mine Explorer expeditions, the working lives of 19th-century Welsh miners can be seen firsthand. Equipment and discarded personal belongings remain untouched as relics of Welsh industry. The landscaped site above ground is also home to the Corris Craft Centre, a retail site from which several craft based shops operate.