Water pipe supplying the Turbine House from the Afon Ogwen
| Date | 27 November 2011 | ||
| Location | Ogwen Bank, Bethesda | SH 62484 65553; 53.16925°N, 4.05868°W | |
|
Information |
Compressed air to power pneumatic tools at Penrhyn Quarry was formerly supplied from the turbine house close to the banks of the Afon Ogwen. Kendal-based manufacturers Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon have been supplying small hydropower systems since 1856 and have now delivered over 6500 turbines worldwide. The Gilkes turbine installed here is dated 1929 and was fed via a pipeline taking water from further upstream on the Ogwen. Exhaust water leaving the turbine was channelled below what is now Lon Las Ogwen cycle track before being returned to the river. The turbine powered a 1918 air compressor manufactured by Fullerton Hodgart & Barclay. This firm was established in 1838 and operated from the Vulcan Foundry in Paisley until the company went into liquidation in 1977.
|
||
Water supply pipeline
View inside the pipe close to its approach down to the Turbine House
Gilkes turbine with the air compressor behind to the right
Turbine House entrance. The water inlet to the turbine is at the bottom left.
Turbine - Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd Kendal 1929
Turbine - Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd Kendal 1929
Turbine inlet valve control
Air compressor. The flywheel on the left was driven by the output shaft from the turbine.
Compressor - Fullerton Hodgart & Barclay Ltd Engineers Paisley 1500 Cubic Feet Capacity 1918
Compressed air pipe leaving the compressor
Compressed air pipe leaving the building
Afon Ogwen at the site of the outfall from the Turbine House
Outfall below Lon Las Ogwen cycle track. Exhaust water from the turbine fed back into the Ogwen from here.
I’ve known one or two water turbines to survive, interesting to see this one as I wasn’t aware of it.
LikeLike
Really awesome pics, compositionally they are all spot on. Very intriguing set, Graham!
LikeLike
These images are just so fun to go through. My mind was just so excited and like a little kid to read all those old dates and go around all the details. And in the first image, I was thinking how fun it would be to go in that tunnel and come out in your world, Graham. 🙂 Love this post!
LikeLike
What a great find! How do you find such great places? I love the way you share the history of place and fill our eyes with visual delights.
LikeLike
With some preparatory desk-based research followed by a spot of wandering about in the field, I guess 😉 Thanks again for your comments and interest.
LikeLike
I am very fond of the first photo. At first I was attracted to the C shape, it made me want to look further inside.
LikeLike
Pingback: Dark Places « GeoTopoi
Reblogged this on prosiectpenrhyn and commented:
Just found this blog with some stunning photographs of the quarry/region as well as some interesting hostory.
LikeLike
superb images – so much so i am off this afternoon to have a look. I have found a few more old hydros across Snowdonia in various states of abandonment. let me know if you have seen any more on your travels. As you probably know Gilks have access to info on every hydro they ever built. But as you probably know the hero in Snowdonia was Richard Edwards Llanuwchlyn and his couple of hundred across Eryri. would be interested if you have found any?
LikeLike
Thanks Keith. I think you’ll find that interesting to see. I wasn’t aware of Richard Edwards, so thanks for the information.
Here are some more hydro-related posts in case you are interested:
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/cwm-dyli-power-station/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/moelwyn-mawr-and-moelwyn-bach/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/croesor-power-station/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/trefriw-woollen-mills/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/dinorwic-quarry-9/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/marchlyn-mawr-reservoir/
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/marchlyn-mawr-reservoir-2/
and some pumps…
https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/penmaen-west-quarry-pumping-house/
LikeLike
thanks for this – here are a few from me as well
Richard Edwards also wrote a book ‘a hydro on every farm’ 1932. there is a copy in Aberystwyth.
http://ntenvironmentalwork.net/2011/04/14/the-channel-tunnel-and-a-hydro-on-snowdon/
http://ntenvironmentalwork.net/2011/04/11/well-i-never-new-that-hydros-everywhere/
http://ntenvironmentalwork.net/2011/05/11/hydro-and-water-mills/
LikeLike
Pingback: Hidden Hydros – another one of those tours | National Trust Going Green
Got this today from Gilks about the turbine
they sold it to
Alfred H Richards for Lord Penrhyn Port Penrhyn, Bangor
Serial No: 3593
Year of Sale: 1929
Mechanical Output: 164kW
Operating Head: 13.72m
Flow: 1.52m3/sec
all the best
LikeLike
Very interesting. Thanks for that!
LikeLike
Great find Graham, hidden in the bushes. I went to check it out this evening. Excellent location, and a really intriguing piece of history.
Made in my home town of Kendal, now lost and forgotten in the jungle a few minutes walk from home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks for stopping by and commenting, Rob. Glad you found it – it is a bit of surprise, tucked away out of sight and yet so close to the public footpath.
LikeLike
I remember this turbine woking back in1964 when i was working as an apprentice fitter at the Quarry .After it had been working all day it would be shut down about 4.30 and the run off would dry up and during the annual salmon run a few fish would be high and dry in the pool next to the turbine house a regular haunt for the local poachers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing those memories, Idris.
LikeLike