Introduction to tour
The Llŷn peninsula protrudes from the Snowdonia Massif and this lowland landscape is characterised by occasional dramatic volcanic granite peaks, which have been exploited over millennia as building material. Located on the northern coast of Pen Llŷn, just southwest of the village of Trefor (SH371467), lies one of these impressive granite peaks which formed the focus for extensive quarrying in modern times. The Trefor Granite workings on Garn Fôr, one of Yr Eifl’s hills in this spectacular coastal location, remain a dominant feature within an archaeologically rich landscape (the hillfort of Tre’r Ceiri sites on the eastern-most hilltop of Yr Eifl). Trefor Quarry was opened in 1867 by the Welsh Granite Co. Ltd to exploit the granite for use in the production of setts – stone that paved Britain’s growing industrial towns and cities. The first modern commercial quarrying around Trefor actually began in the 1840’s, before the village of Trefor itself existed, with the first quarrying lease issued in 1844 for a surface and shallow quarry site of ‘Hen Ffolt’. The Welsh Granite Company was later established in 1949/50. The Welsh Granite Company of 1849-1864 received a lease in May 1854 to open a new quarry adjacent to Hen Ffolt known as Mynydd Garnfor, alongside a new 2ft gauge tramway to transport the granite approximately 2km to the coast at Traeth y Gwydir, as well as a newly constructed village for the workforce that lay along this tramway. This village was named Trefor after Trefor Jones, the inaugural foreman at the new Mynydd Garnfor works.
Much of the workings that you see here today date to the first half of the twentieth century – the fortress-like Production Shed, for example, was constructed in 1930. This is actually the third iteration of quarries on this face of Garn Fôr, the others now buried beneath the spoil heaps. By 1931, over one million tons of Setts (paving stones) had been produced by this quarry, before focus shifted to crushed and polished stone as the demand for setts waned. The last products that this quarry produced were Curling Stones, and in fact Trefor Granite was used for the Curling Stones of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Location 1 – ‘Quarry Building and Overview’
Here you can see the expanse of the Trefor Quarry, with its almost fortress like Production Shed, constructed in 1930, and the scarred rock of over one hundred years of Granite Production. This is actually the third iteration of quarries on this face of Garn Fôr, the others now buried beneath the spoil heaps. Trefor Quarry was opened in 1867 by the Welsh Granite Co. Ltd to exploit the granite for use in the production of setts – stone that paved Britain’s growing industrial towns and cities. The long incline you can see leading down from the production shed to the sea was also built in 1867 for the 2ft gauge tramway that served the site. By 1931, over one million tons of Setts had been produced by this quarry before focus shifted to crushed and polished stone as the demand for setts waned. The last products that this quarry produced have been Curling Stones, and in fact Trefor Granite was used for the Curling Stones of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Location 2 – ‘Main Incline Down to Trefor’
Here you can see the long gravity incline that served the quarry until its closure. Constructed in 1867, it carried a 2ft tramway that remained in constant operation until 1959 when the rails were lifted and it was converted into a road in order to carry motor traffic. At its base is the village of Trefor, named after the inaugural foreman of the quarry – Trefor Jones - which was constructed by the quarry owners for the workers, of which there were some 900 by 1899.
Location 3 – ‘Quarry Building’, ‘Building from Above’, ‘Inside of Disused Buildings’, ‘Above the Building’ & ‘Building from Coast Side’
The building you see here is the main production shed that was constructed in 1930 by the Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co. Ltd – the operators of the quarry at this time. This was built as production shifted away from setts to crushed and polished stone and this building would have housed the machinery for such production. This remained in use until large scale quarrying finished at Trefor in 1971.
Location 4 – ‘Walls with holes down to the beach’
These ruins are located in the approximate location that storage/water tanks are shown on the 1920 OS Map. They are also adjacent to a section of the internal tramway that once criss-crossed the entire quarry.
Location 5 – ‘Second Level in the Quarry’
The quarry evolved over the 100 years of its operation, with new and ever changing levels. Internal inclines, powered by gravity or winding houses, moved the tramway wagons between these levels.
Location 6 – ‘Work Sheds or Tool Sheds’
Ahead of you are the remains of sheds that were constructed as part of the Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co. Ltd.’s move to switch from the production of setts to crushed or polished granite. These sheds would have served as storage or workspaces used in this production. They were likewise served by the internal tramway.
Location 7 – ‘Higher Up the Quarry’
This aerial image showcases the immense scale of quarrying at the site, as well as the numerous levels and quarry faces worked throughout its history.
Location 8 – ‘Curling Stones’ & ‘Quarry Main Floor’
This location shows the very last small scale workings of the quarry – you can see the off-cuts of granite that have been used in the production of Curling Stones. Indeed, it was Trefor Granite quarried from here that was used to make the curling stones for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.