Rock cannon, looking east towards Penrhyn Quarry and the Carneddau
| Date | 12 February 2011 | ||
| Location | Gefnan, Mynydd Llandegai | SH 61096 65123; 53.16504°N, 4.07924°W | |
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Further Information |
A rock cannon was a traditional pyrotechnic device fired to mark special occasions and celebrations. It comprised a boulder into which a number of holes had been drilled. Each hole was normally around an inch across by five or six deep, and was linked to a neighbouring one via a shallow channel cut into the surface of the rock. Before firing, the holes were filled with black powder and packed with crushed rock. A black powder-filled goose quill served as a fuse and more black powder was laid in the grooves between the holes. The sights and sounds of a cannon in operation are said to have been rather marvellous. There are over 200 known rock cannon sites in the slate quarrying areas of Gwynedd. Rock Cannon (Wikipedia); Rock Cannon at Rhiwbach (Iain Robinson / Flickr)
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Rock cannon, looking north west towards the Menai Strait and Anglesey
The larger of the two drilled boulders
Holes and channels
One of the now water-filled holes
Detail of hole and groove
Hole and groove detail, looking west towards Moel y Ci
Great detail on these! Obviously cut in a different way to the ones in Blaenau Ffestiniog, as the linking grooves are straight rather than in the “flowery” pattern. Super photos. I noticed this week that Browsers in Porthmadog had a copy of Griff Rees-Jones’s “Rock Cannons of Gwynedd”.
Yes, I felt this one had more of a ‘rough and ready’ feel than the one you found.
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