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Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being ‘LOST' for decades
The tunnel was difficult to find as it was 'very well hidden from view' IN THE DARK Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being 'LOST' for decades A 'LOST' tunnel from nearly 200 years ago has been discovered under a UK village. The tunnel has been out of use since the 1960s, but it was recently uncovered in a "fantastic" discovery. 3 The discovery was made by Disused Railway Tunnels UK Credit: R.K. Walton/Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales 3 The tunnel was used to carry slate from the local quarry Credit: Disused Railway Tunnels UK 3 It was built in 1843 and has been disused since 1861 Credit: Alamy Port Dinorwic Tunnel in North Wales was uncovered by Disused Railway Tunnels UK after a failed attempt last year. The tunnel, built in 1824, was once an integral part of the slate trade. Part of the wider Padarn Railway, the almost 100 yard tunnel connected the quarries at Llanberis to Port Dinowic. Further developments were made in 1843 when a rope-worked incline and a 92 yard tunnel between Port Dinorwic and Penscoins were built. This addition served to transport slate from the quarries to the waterside before it was carried around the UK via boats and trains. It also served as a kind of commuter route for workers before a more formalised service was introduced. The tunnel ceased use in 1861 and was blocked off before being infilled and becoming overgrown. In a trip to the area last year, Vince from Disused Railway Tunnels UK was unable to locate the tunnel. He told North Wales Live: "I couldn't see any evidence of the portal, even the shaft wasn't visible so possibly the tunnel may well be totally lost." The difficulty in finding the tunnel was caused by it having been bricked up until recently which left it "very well hidden from view." Inside 'gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds 'toxic' secret that scientists 'can't explain' Vince later returned to the village after the owners of a commercial property at the tunnel's entrance at Port Dinorwic contacted him. Speaking about the successful find, he said: "A massive thank you to Robert for the invitation to visit Port Dinorwic Tunnel and also to Iwan for showing us the way on the day and displaying patience while we mooched about in the tunnel. "What a fantastic day. Vince was shown around by Iwan Rees-Jones who said: "It's a privilege to work in what used to be the vital link for Welsh slate. Vince took photographs of the discovery which was appreciated by locals whose family history is intertwined with the tunnel. Locals either have direct or ancestral links to the tunnel and its trains including the Amalthaea, a steam locomotive that ran on the railway. One resident said: "My husband's great grandfather was one of Amalthaea's drivers. "We have his grandfather's old train tokens also, which he used to get to and from work as a slate splitter and dresser in Dinorwig. "What a stunning set of photographs, a real treat." Another local reminisced on earlier memories with friends when they would follow the disused narrow gauge lines in the 1960s. He said: "There were many tunnels leading into the mines but we never ventued into them.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being ‘LOST' for decades
A 'LOST' tunnel from nearly 200 years ago has been discovered under a UK village. The tunnel has been out of use since the 1960s, but it was recently uncovered in a "fantastic" discovery. Advertisement 3 The discovery was made by Disused Railway Tunnels UK Credit: R.K. Walton/Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales 3 The tunnel was used to carry slate from the local quarry Credit: Disused Railway Tunnels UK 3 It was built in 1843 and has been disused since 1861 Credit: Alamy Port Dinorwic Tunnel in North Wales was uncovered by Disused Railway Tunnels UK after a failed attempt last year. Part of the wider Padarn Railway, the almost 100 yard tunnel connected the quarries at Llanberis to Port Dinowic. Further developments were made in 1843 when a rope-worked incline and a 92 yard tunnel between Port Dinorwic and Penscoins were built. Advertisement Read more News This addition served to transport slate from the quarries to the waterside before it was carried around the UK via boats and trains. It also served as a kind of commuter route for workers before a more formalised service was introduced. The tunnel ceased use in 1861 and was blocked off before being infilled and In a trip to the area last year, Vince from Disused Railway Tunnels UK was unable to locate the tunnel. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Latest He told The difficulty in finding the tunnel was caused by it having been bricked up until recently which left it "very well hidden from view." Inside 'gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds 'toxic' secret that scientists 'can't explain' Vince later returned to the village after the owners of a commercial property at the Speaking about the successful find, he said: "A massive thank you to Robert for the invitation to visit Port Dinorwic Tunnel and also to Iwan for showing us the way on the day and displaying patience while we mooched about in the tunnel. Advertisement "What a fantastic day. Vince was shown around by Iwan Rees-Jones who said: "It's a privilege to work in what used to be the vital link for Welsh slate. Vince took photographs of the Locals either have direct or ancestral links to the tunnel and its trains including the Amalthaea, a Advertisement One resident said: "My husband's great grandfather was one of Amalthaea's drivers. "We have his grandfather's old train tokens also, which he used to get to and from work as a slate splitter and dresser in Dinorwig. "What a stunning set of photographs, a real treat." Another local reminisced on earlier memories with friends when they would follow the disused narrow gauge lines in the 1960s. Advertisement He said: "There were many tunnels leading into the mines but we never ventued into them.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reviving the lost tradition of egg clapping
Over the Easter weekend, children around the world took part in egg hunts to celebrate one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar. But in one corner of Wales some partook in a slight variation of this popular tradition – egg clapping. The activity was practiced on Anglesey in the 19th and 20th Centuries before undergoing a demise from about the 1960s as rural traditions began to disappear. However, a local organisation is leading efforts to revive the practice on the island as part of wider efforts to celebrate and protect local heritage. Parking plea at beauty spot to avoid Easter chaos Easter egg hunt in cemetery pulled after backlash The exact origins of clapio wyau, or egg clapping, are unclear, but it appears to have originated some time in the 19th Century mainly in rural communities on Anglesey. Children would visit neighbours with their wooden claps, recite a rhyme and ask for eggs – chicken eggs in those days – that they would take home to display on their mantelpiece. The rhyme had some variations, but according to one telling by Museum Wales went: Clap, clap, os gwelwch chi'n dda ga'i wŷ (Clap, clap, please may I have an egg) Geneth fychan (neu fachgen bychan) ar y plwy' (Young girl (or young boy) on the parish) The children would then be asked by the occupier "And who do you belong to?" before they were given an egg to add to their collection. #OnThisDay 1965: The BBC celebrated that most venerable Easter tradition, 'clapping Monday'. The day that Mardi Gras wishes it could be. Throw your eggs in your basket, grab your clapper and let's go! — BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) April 3, 2023 Speaking to the BBC in 1965, Nelli Jones, from Cemaes Bay on Anglesey, said she went egg clapping every year between the ages of two and 16. It was a tradition her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother took part in. Ms Jones said she did not know how the tradition started but the children in the village "couldn't sleep" the night before because of excitement. Starting at about 06:00 BST, they would take their basket of straw for their eggs, their clapper and a spare piece of string in case it broke, and go clapping all day, returning in the evening. "If you had a good day you could clap 150 eggs," Ms Jones said, adding the family was often "on an egg diet for weeks" afterwards. Some eggs would also be brought into school the next day and sent to a hospital in Bangor. Ms Jones also showed the presenter her clapper – a wooden implement built by her father – which had written on it the years she had taken part. It showed the last time she had been was in 1939, 26 years earlier. Ms Jones lamented the demise of the practice, saying her two older children, including her son aged 21, had never been egg clapping. "I think it's a great shame to see old customs die," she said. Many decades later there are now efforts to keep the tradition alive. Since 2012, Menter Môn, an organisation promoting Welsh customs on Anglesey, has been holding annual egg clapping events during the Easter holidays. Angharad Evans, from Menter Môn, said the event was an important way for children to connect with Welsh heritage and activities, as well as the language. The events today see children given their own egg clappers that they colour in, before going around the local area reciting the traditional rhyme in Welsh and asking for eggs – these days in the form of chocolate. Ms Evans described the event as "fun" and "inter-generational", and said her father, who is in his late 80s, remembered doing it. "We've found the grandparents really enjoy it – often they remember doing it themselves and there's real nostalgia for them. And for the children it's a bit of adventure, a bit different to the traditional Easter egg hunt," she said. "It's nice, and gives the children a good look into how things were done in the past," she said.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Egg clapping: Bringing back a lost Welsh tradition on Anglesey
Over the Easter weekend, children around the world took part in egg hunts to celebrate one of the most important festivals in the Christian in one corner of Wales some partook in a slight variation of this popular tradition – egg activity was practiced on Anglesey in the 19th and 20th Centuries before undergoing a demise from about the 1960s as rural traditions began to a local organisation is leading efforts to revive the practice on the island as part of wider efforts to celebrate and protect local heritage. The exact origins of clapio wyau, or egg clapping, are unclear, but it appears to have originated some time in the 19th Century mainly in rural communities on would visit neighbours with their wooden claps, recite a rhyme and ask for eggs – chicken eggs in those days – that they would take home to display on their rhyme had some variations, but according to one telling by Museum Wales went:Clap, clap, os gwelwch chi'n dda ga'i wŷ (Clap, clap, please may I have an egg)Geneth fychan (neu fachgen bychan) ar y plwy' (Young girl (or young boy) on the parish)The children would then be asked by the occupier "And who do you belong to?" before they were given an egg to add to their collection. Speaking to the BBC in 1965, Nelli Jones, from Cemaes Bay on Anglesey, said she went egg clapping every year between the ages of two and was a tradition her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother took part Jones said she did not know how the tradition started but the children in the village "couldn't sleep" the night before because of at about 06:00 BST, they would take their basket of straw for their eggs, their clapper and a spare piece of string in case it broke, and go clapping all day, returning in the evening."If you had a good day you could clap 150 eggs," Ms Jones said, adding the family was often "on an egg diet for weeks" eggs would also be brought into school the next day and sent to a hospital in Jones also showed the presenter her clapper – a wooden implement built by her father – which had written on it the years she had taken part. It showed the last time she had been was in 1939, 26 years Jones lamented the demise of the practice, saying her two older children, including her son aged 21, had never been egg clapping."I think it's a great shame to see old customs die," she said. Many decades later there are now efforts to keep the tradition 2012, Menter Môn, an organisation promoting Welsh customs on Anglesey, has been holding annual egg clapping events during the Easter Evans, from Menter Môn, said the event was an important way for children to connect with Welsh heritage and activities, as well as the events today see children given their own egg clappers that they colour in, before going around the local area reciting the traditional rhyme in Welsh and asking for eggs – these days in the form of Evans described the event as "fun" and "inter-generational", and said her father, who is in his late 80s, remembered doing it."We've found the grandparents really enjoy it – often they remember doing it themselves and there's real nostalgia for them. And for the children it's a bit of adventure, a bit different to the traditional Easter egg hunt," she said."It's nice, and gives the children a good look into how things were done in the past," she said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Publicly funded gallery 'turning its back on art'
A publicly funded gallery designed to showcase the work of one of the finest British painters of the 20th Century has been accused of turning its back on art. Oriel y Parc landscape gallery in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, cost £3.5m and was opened in 2008 by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, with the help of £1.6m in European funding. Campaigners have accused the authority of "wasting money" by not holding any fine art exhibitions there in recent years and rebranding it as a "discovery centre". The park authority said it wanted to develop a "clear and lasting vision" to "meet the needs of future audiences". Oriel y Parc, which was described as a partnership between the park authority and Museum Wales when it opened in 2008, was designed to offer a "permanent home" for rotating exhibitions of artist Graham Sutherland's paintings and "treasures from the collections" of the national museum. The gallery is classed as Grade A1, meaning it has the necessary environmental controls and security to house major works of art. Sutherland, who died in 1980, was considered the "finest British painter of his generation", mixing with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. His artwork was purchased by stars such as Sophia Loren and David Bowie and is on display in the Vatican Museum and Coventry Cathedral, while his official portrait of Sir Winston Churchill caused a storm when it was destroyed by Churchill's widow. Works by Sutherland, as well as other prominent artists including John Constable, John Piper and JMW Turner, have all been displayed at Oriel y Parc since it opened 17 years ago. But there have been no major fine art exhibitions at Oriel y Parc since 2018, and no works by Sutherland have been displayed since 2020. The Sutherland works are currently being looked after by Museum Wales. Local artists fear the gallery space - which is currently hosting an exhibition on the 200th anniversary of the RNLI - is being "downgraded" and have written to Culture Minister Jack Sargeant with concerns the authority is turning "its back on art". "I get the feeling that art might be being viewed as elitist and not for everybody," said artist Nicola Schoenenberger, who is one of the campaigners. "I feel that might be down to their lack of knowledge about what art can do and what it offers. I think there are a lot of people locally that revere Graham Sutherland, and would like to see the works back. "It's a complete waste of something that is a very special gem, a jewel in St Davids' crown." Art historian Peter Lord said Wales "cannot afford to waste a fantastic public resource" like Oriel y Parc. "We've all paid for it, and those are our pictures," he said. "The Sutherland family left them to us, and we need to see them. "If those two important public institutions, the national park and the museum, can't sort this out between them, then I really feel the minister ought to be involved and bang some heads together." Artist Elizabeth Haines, who has hosted art workshops with local school pupils, said they felt "more connected" to art after seeing paintings in the gallery. "To have the opportunity for that kind of interaction with young people, to have it as a part of their education, I think we agree would be enormously important. "Are we just going to throw it away? The place is there. It's done, it's paid for. "I'm afraid these people don't realise, they can't realise, that it matters. The visual arts are not just something nice that goes with the curtains. " Tegryn Jones, chief executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, denied the facility was being "wasted". "I don't agree that hosting the national collection of Wales, in its wider sense, is wasting this resource," he said. "We've had very popular and significant exhibitions that have attracted tens of thousands of people. Our aim is to have a wide cross section of people visiting the gallery." More than 40,000 visited the gallery at Oriel y Parc in 2015-16 when a painting by Constable was on display, but numbers dipped to about 20,000 last year. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said it had "developed a hugely successful programme of exhibitions in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru [Museum Wales] over the years". "As an authority we are committed to developing a clear and lasting vision for Oriel y Parc to ensure that it meets the needs of future audiences and builds on the success of the centre over the past 17 years. "As part of a wider master plan process, we are currently consulting with all interested parties to shape the future of this well-used and respected visitor facility." Museum Wales said it continued to work jointly with Oriel y Parc and "all galleries and venues must evolve in order to respond to changing audience requirements". "Should Oriel y Parc decided that it wishes to include the work of Graham Sutherland in future displays, this is something we would be happy to deliver." The Welsh government declined to comment. All on show - the museum displaying everything Churchill portrait valued at £800,000 on display Can you remember these 2024 culture moments? Tiny community art gallery created in beehive box
