Great Orme Tramway & Copper Mine Visit - Saturday 29th June 2024 

Just seven members made this trip, which was organised in a hurry following cancellation of our silk mills visit. Five of us went by train, with journeys of greater or lesser complexity (Andrew used a total of six trains). David and Ginny stayed overnight at Bodelwyddan Castle.

We were all on board when Tram No 4 departed at 11.30. After changing at Halfway Station, we continued to the Summit. There we had lunch in the summit complex, rather wary having read some uncomplimentary reviews. In fact, we found the café to be modern and clean, and serving its many customers cheerfully and efficiently. The choice is somewhat limited, but none of us complained.

As for the tramway, I was struck by the immaculate condition of the (original) cars and the professional nature of the operation. There are highly informative signboards at various points on the system but for an overview I turned to Casgliad y Werin Cymru (People’s Collection Wales): The Great Orme Tramway is the UK's only surviving cable-operated street tramway and one of only three remaining in the world (the others being in San Francisco and in Lisbon).

It is a street funicular, where the cars are permanently fixed to the cable (unlike San Francisco) and are stopped, started and regulated solely by the speed of the cable. The railway has a gauge of 1067mm (3’ 6”) and runs between Llandudno and the summit of the Great Orme; it is in two sections each some 750m long and passengers change cars at the Halfway Station.

The lower terminus of the line is at Victoria Station in Llandudno, from where the lower section climbs to the Halfway Station on a maximum gradient of 1 in 4; it was opened for passengers in 1902. The upper section, opened in 1903 and with a maximum gradient of 1 in 10, connects Halfway Station and the Summit Station.

Prior to the recent introduction of radio control, the cars' trolley poles were used to maintain a telegraph link with the controller at the halfway winding house, which was powered by steam until conversion to electrical operation in 1958.

After 1902 tramcars we made our way to the copper mines, unearthed in 1987. The mine was first worked during the Bronze Age, around 4000 years ago, about the same time as Stonehenge was being built. 3 The miners used granite stone hammers brought up from the beach, and animal bone to dig away at the copper ore. Most of the ore was the green mineral, malachite, however blue azurite, gold chalcopyrite and even native copper may have been mined.

The site was worked for a period of up to a thousand years creating a vast array of tunnels, some so small they could have only been dug out by children around 5 or 6 years old. The miners used animal fat candles to light their way in passages that extended for miles and went up to 220 feet below the surface. Finally mining ceased when they reached the water table, by this time iron was the new material and the demand for copper wavered.

After a long hiatus, interest in the mine resumed and water was pumped from the site during the late 18th century to reach the copper below. Later Victorian miners sunk shafts, one can be seen on the Visitor’s Route that extends 470 feet straight down to sea level. Eventually the mine fell into disuse again as Llandudno became known more as a Victorian seaside resort then a mining town. The mine was covered up by spoil at the end of the 19th century and forgotten until its re-discovery in the 1980s. We explored some 200 metres of underground tunnels, a fraction of what exists, and we were glad of the hard hats provided, as our heads frequently hit the roof.  


Ship Canal Trip on the SS Daniel Adamson (aka Danny) - Saturday 1st June

Our trip started in an area of the “Boat Museum” that is parallel to the Ship Canal, where “The Danny” was moored. We boarded with the minimum of fuss, all calling ourselves Mr Verity, which worked the trick except for the ladies, where just raised eyebrows was the reaction of the Chief Steward.

As we left our mooring, I noticed the small but perfectly formed lighthouse (see below), indicating the entrance to the canal from the river. It’s not as old as I had thought, originally built in 1880, Ellesmere Port Lighthouse served its purpose until 1894. However, when the Manchester Ship Canal opened, a new entrance at Eastham Locks made the lighthouse redundant.

Going slowly up the canal on a sunny day was lovely and relaxing, especially with a bacon sandwich from the galley. I saw lots of birdlife, including a kingfisher. See next page for my snap of the derelict church at Weston, near Runcorn, surrounded by one tonne bags of salt. I am grateful to Wikipedia for the following:- The foundation stone of Christ Church was laid by Sir Richard Brooke of Norton Priory, and the church was consecrated on 21st December 1841 by Rt Rev John Bird Sumner, Bishop of Chester. It provided seating for about 400 people. The stone from a nearby quarry was given by its owner John Tomkinson. The spire of the church was rebuilt in 1898 following a fire. When it was built, the church stood on a headland jutting out into the River Mersey. However the Manchester Ship Canal was built on its river-side, and the Runcorn and Weston Canal on the land-side, leaving it on an island. At this time, it was said to be the only church in Britain in use on an uninhabited island. On 1st June 1995 it was declared redundant. In 2002 the interior of the church was vandalised by thieves, and all the fittings were taken. In June 2004 permission was granted for it to be used as an office, for storage and as a monument. The building now stands within the Port of Weston and is inaccessible to the public. As of 2011 the land on which the church stood was owned by the Stobart Group of companies, which have now been taken over by another company.

We spotted a tanker in a “siding” near Stanlow, I was interested to see a red flag next to the red ensign. The flag is called the “B” or Bravo flag and denotes that it is “taking on or carrying dangerous goods”. Funny how these traditions, hundreds of years old, carry on in the 21st century.

At one place facing the canal there was a large chemical refinery, but it looked like the remains of a factory in Ukraine after a missile attack, with broken landing stages, collapsed riverbanks, smashed windows, rusty pipework, with no one taking any interest in it looking “Nice” or caring about the dereliction. There are no signs saying things like “Ineos – Chemicals for the World” which would have existed in the 1950’s.

Swing bridges were opened for us, a very rare sight these days, they too look derelict, and no money seems to be spent on them and no one cares. Why can’t people on community service be given a paint brush to tart them up? It’s our heritage gradually rotting away. Where else can you see such wonderful, full size Meccano swing bridges as this?

The crew of the Danny were helpful and informative, a visit to the bridge was most interesting, seeing the telegraph in use was great fun. Brass handles clinking backwards and forwards with a satisfying bell. And to hear the engine room crew shout back that they had actioned the instruction brought it all alive.

Now to the 1903 powered steering. It was a hoot. The steersman turned the wooden ship’s wheel connected to a steam donkey engine, it hissed, clanked and leaked and made noises like it needed some 3-in-1 oil! This did the work of moving the rudder.

Nothing happens much these days without a dose of “Health and Safety”, and the ceremony of the “Pilot” exemplified it. We had to take a pilot aboard as the ship was carrying passengers, so he arrived with hard hat with the word “Pilot” on and a full array of safety gear, including a torch, gloves, goggles, hi-vis overcoat, and when they changed pilots at Latchford, the new pilot had ear defenders attached to his hard hat. I imagine the cost of the pilotage to be in the region of £2,000. How did they possibly make any money towards the Danny on this trip? Even with a passenger fare at £60, I wouldn’t think there would be much left after burning Columbian coal for 8 hours or more.

Of course, the ship is totally manned by about 15 volunteers, the firemen working 30 mins on and 30 mins off. It was a bit breezy on the way back, so I sat near the funnel which was lovely and warm. And here we are disembarking, Captain Verity on the gangplank (the word gangplank comes from gang, a way (as in 5-gang plug socket) and plank another word for a board). Well done, Malcolm, for organising the trip.