Treforys: "A Sort of Johannesburg". Really?

If you've ever come across the abandoned village of Treforys, Cwmystradllyn, you will almost certainly have come across the claim that it "came to be known as 'a sort of Johannesburg - a synonym for a wild and lawless place'". 

But was it, in fact, such a 'wild west' sort of place?  I trace the claim's origins and find a very different story, available here.

 

The eerie remains of Treforys and the Gorsedda quarry at which its occupants worked. The quarry proved to have poor, unusable slate and closed after only 20 years after its initial development.

 

Penrhyn old quarry: drainage tunnel survey.

It's time I placed survey results of the great Penrhyn old quarry drainage tunnel into the public domain. 

Penrhyn old quarry in 2023, now mostly flooded. The level of the lake is defined by the drainage tunnel's level, which exits into the Ogwen river, nearly 2km downstream, opposite Bethesda rugby ground.

 

First, a bit of context: Penrhyn and his ilk operated a harsh and despotic system of industry in north Wales that has often - correctly - been described as 'white slavery'. This is because money made from black slavery in the Caribbean was reinvested in north Wales slate. Penrhyn ensured his gentrified and political position allowed him to 'steal a mountain' - land that locals had exploited on a small scale as common land for centuries.

 

In surveying and celebrating the structures of the Penrhyn slate quarry, my work absolutely does not idolise Penrhyn and his managers; they were crooks, interested only in power and, above all, personal wealth. 

 

Stereo viewer pair of Penrhyn old quarry in 1902. It is possible for many people to generate a stereo image simply by crossing one's eyes to create a centre, '3D' image. Library of Congress.

Rather, I examine and celebrate the ordinary working men who slaved away for no life-changing benefit to create indsutrial structures and machinery that reveal them as the capable, intelligent and tough folk they were.

My work, which has been accepted for inclusion on the RCAHMW's 'Coflein' database since around April 2026, has yet to appear due, I am told, technical issues with their system. 

In the meantime, you can find my work, for free, here. 

Update: during 2026, the adit was blocked off with a new grille. The old one had been cut many years ago. The new grille is quite substantial but will probably be attacked with an angle grinder, as tends to be the way with these things. Still, the whole field approach is now also more difficult than it used to be following new bridge and footpath works, and an owner who clearly wants to stop trespass. So, don't turn up expecting a nice day a mile up the tunnel! 

Edward I and the Misplaced Court

 

Recently, I submitted a work that corrects an intriguing error in the modern account of Edward I's court and its movements in north Wales.

 

In very brief summary, modern accounts since at least 1974, but with origins going back to 1900, assert that Edward's court was located for three weeks (every author has a different period, of course!) at Llyn Cwm Dulyn.

As my work shows, this was not so. Primary evidence is clear, despite slight spelling variations that never obscure the true location, that the court, between June 9th and 29th, 1284, was located at Baladeulyn - modern-day Nantlle. 

There's little point in repeating my work here, so please have a read of the report, for free and without adverts or such like, here. 

Enjoy!