Esgairgeiliog

(Redirected from Era quarry)

Esgairgeiliog (also known as Ceinws) is a village in Powys (formerly Montgomeryshire), Wales, UK. It is situated at the junction of the Afon Glesyrch's and Afon Dulas' valleys.

Esgairgeiliog
General view of Esgairgeiliog, c.1885
Esgairgeiliog is located in Powys
Esgairgeiliog
Esgairgeiliog
Location within Powys
OS grid referenceSH759059
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMACHYNLLETH
Postcode districtSY20
Dialling code01654
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys
52°38′13″N 3°50′06″W / 52.637°N 3.835°W / 52.637; -3.835

Behind the village is the former Era slate quarry, in the Glesyrch valley, and the Centre for Alternative Technology lies about a mile south of the village.

History

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The minor road on the east side of the Afon Dulas is believed to be of Roman origin. In 1910, this road was still mostly cobbled, with sections that crossed bedrock showing deep wheel ruts.[1]

 
The Forestry Commission camp

Immediately after the Second World War, the Forestry Commission established the Dovey Forest (later known as the Dyfi Forest) in the land between Corris and Aberangell. A major camp was established on the east side of Esgairgeiliog.[2]

Murder of April Jones

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In 2012, Mark Bridger, a resident of Ceinws, abducted and murdered five-year-old April Jones from the nearby town of Machynlleth.[3] Bridger was sentenced to a whole life sentence.[4] His house was subsequently torn down and a memorial garden to April Jones was erected on its site.[5]

Railway station

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Esgairgeiliog railway station was a station on the narrow-gauge Corris Railway, although it was the opposite side of the Afon Dulas river from the village, making the station in the county of Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) as opposed to the village, which was in Montgomeryshire (now Powys). A steeply-graded branch line crossed the river and led to the Era quarry, where slate could be taken from for transport to Machynlleth for transshipment.[6]

The station was opened in 1884,[7] and closed at the end of passenger services in December 1930.[8]: 7 

The station was structurally and cosmetically restored in the early 1980s.[9] The Corris Railway Society is now restoring the line, through Esgairgeiliog.

The station at Esgairgeiliog is the basis for Ulfstead Road, one of the Mid Sodor Railway's stations in The Railway Series.[citation needed]

Preceding station    Proposed Heritage railways Following station
Tan-y-coed   Corris Railway   Maespoeth Junction
  Historical railways  
Llwyngwern   Corris Railway   Maespoeth Junction

References

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  1. ^ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (1925). An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire: I - County of Montgomery. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. p. 142. GGKEY:HRABCGX5SDD.
  2. ^ Moorhouse, Sydney (12 October 1955). "The Dovey Forest". Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News.
  3. ^ "Grave headstone for murdered April Jones two years after death". BBC News. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  4. ^ "April Jones trial: Mark Bridger guilty of murder". BBC News. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  5. ^ "April Jones: Murder house to be demolished". BBC News. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. ^ A New Pictorial and Descriptive Guide to Aberystwyth, Barmouth, Pwllheli, Criccieth, Bala, Llangollen, and the Southern Section of North Wales: Including Ascents of Snowdon, Cader Idris, Etc. Appendices for Anglers, Cyclists, and Golfers. Ward, Lock and Company, Ltd. 1904. p. 49.
  7. ^ Boyd, James I.C. (1965). Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid Wales. The Oakwood Press. pp. 24–25.
  8. ^ The Corris Railway Society (2009). "The Corris Railway – 1859 to 1948". Corris Railway – Guidebook & Stocklist. Template Printing (Nottingham) Limited.
  9. ^ Baughan, Peter E. (30 January 1992). A Regional History of the Railways of Britain: North and Mid Wales. Vol. 11. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0946537594.
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