History of the LVR&HCo page 2
In The Begining
In the late 1870’s Mr G Stott, a Lancashire mill owner whose business had recovered from the difficulties caused by the American Civil War, was looking to diversify in the hopes of protecting the family fortune from any future vagaries in world markets. A number of his associates had made investments in the Welsh slate industry, which were providing satisfactory returns as the industry was booming with all the new building in the North West and further a field. Mr Stott, having shown an interest in the slate business, had the Vron- Heulog Quarry brought to his attention by one of these associates, the Vron-Heulog Slate Company Limited had gone into liquidation in 1877 followed a year later by its successor the Eryri Slate Company Limited and it was looking for a new owner. By 1880 Mr Stott was the new owner of the quarry and the New Vron Heulog Slate Quarry Company Limited had been formed.
The Vron-Heulog quarry had been linked to the Nantlle Railway by a 3’-6” gauge tramway rather grandly titled The Carnarvonshire Slate Quarries Railway built in 1854 and shared with the Tan-yr-Allt and Tyn-y Wierglodd Quarries. Despite surveys as early as 1864 reporting; “The (tramway) works in some part are not in repair or capable of being used without some outlay being made upon it” the original intention was to improve the line and use it to transport the slate to Tal y Sarn. On investigation at the site not only was the condition of the line a problem, a number of other issues became apparent, the lease on the land that the tramway crossed was often in dispute and the rent had increased by 100%, there were also difficulties on the Nantlle line with increasing costs and Mr Preston’s transhipment arrangements. The enterprise looked doomed to failure before it had got started.
Whilst drowning his sorrows in the inn at Pen y Groes Mr Stott got into conversation with a Mr Harvey one time owner of the Tal-y-sarn Quarry, who, by way of offering some solace to Mr Stott, was bemoaning the difficulties he had experiencing some twenty years previously moving his slate on the Nanttle Tramway. Mr Stott’s interest was aroused at the mention of how much better things might have been if the line to Pont Llyfni had been built and the slate shipped from the proposed Porth Newbrough. Further investigation revealed the proposals put before parliament in 1859 and a possible solution started to emerge. After some preliminary surveying to establish a route from the South of the valley to join the originally proposed route to the West of Pen y Groes Mr Stott sought a meeting with Lord Newbrough to try and revive his interest in the Porth Newbrough project.
This proved to be easier than Mr Stott had expected, Lord Newbrough was receiving a reasonable return from his land along the Quay in Caernarfon but could see considerable advantages to owning the quayside, which he did not do at Caernarfon. There was little chance that developing a Quay at Pont Llyfni would have any significant adverse effects on his interests in Caernarfon, further more the major investment, that of the tramway, was going to be Mr Stotts and so agreement was reached in principle in a very short time. The negotiations around access and rates for transhipment, leasing of land etc. took somewhat longer but eventually agreements were reached, contracts signed and all was ready for work to commence. The Vron Heloug Quarry to Pont Llyfni tramway and Porth Newbrough where now serious propositions.
In the late 1870’s Mr G Stott, a Lancashire mill owner whose business had recovered from the difficulties caused by the American Civil War, was looking to diversify in the hopes of protecting the family fortune from any future vagaries in world markets. A number of his associates had made investments in the Welsh slate industry, which were providing satisfactory returns as the industry was booming with all the new building in the North West and further a field. Mr Stott, having shown an interest in the slate business, had the Vron- Heulog Quarry brought to his attention by one of these associates, the Vron-Heulog Slate Company Limited had gone into liquidation in 1877 followed a year later by its successor the Eryri Slate Company Limited and it was looking for a new owner. By 1880 Mr Stott was the new owner of the quarry and the New Vron Heulog Slate Quarry Company Limited had been formed.
The Vron-Heulog quarry had been linked to the Nantlle Railway by a 3’-6” gauge tramway rather grandly titled The Carnarvonshire Slate Quarries Railway built in 1854 and shared with the Tan-yr-Allt and Tyn-y Wierglodd Quarries. Despite surveys as early as 1864 reporting; “The (tramway) works in some part are not in repair or capable of being used without some outlay being made upon it” the original intention was to improve the line and use it to transport the slate to Tal y Sarn. On investigation at the site not only was the condition of the line a problem, a number of other issues became apparent, the lease on the land that the tramway crossed was often in dispute and the rent had increased by 100%, there were also difficulties on the Nantlle line with increasing costs and Mr Preston’s transhipment arrangements. The enterprise looked doomed to failure before it had got started.
Whilst drowning his sorrows in the inn at Pen y Groes Mr Stott got into conversation with a Mr Harvey one time owner of the Tal-y-sarn Quarry, who, by way of offering some solace to Mr Stott, was bemoaning the difficulties he had experiencing some twenty years previously moving his slate on the Nanttle Tramway. Mr Stott’s interest was aroused at the mention of how much better things might have been if the line to Pont Llyfni had been built and the slate shipped from the proposed Porth Newbrough. Further investigation revealed the proposals put before parliament in 1859 and a possible solution started to emerge. After some preliminary surveying to establish a route from the South of the valley to join the originally proposed route to the West of Pen y Groes Mr Stott sought a meeting with Lord Newbrough to try and revive his interest in the Porth Newbrough project.
This proved to be easier than Mr Stott had expected, Lord Newbrough was receiving a reasonable return from his land along the Quay in Caernarfon but could see considerable advantages to owning the quayside, which he did not do at Caernarfon. There was little chance that developing a Quay at Pont Llyfni would have any significant adverse effects on his interests in Caernarfon, further more the major investment, that of the tramway, was going to be Mr Stotts and so agreement was reached in principle in a very short time. The negotiations around access and rates for transhipment, leasing of land etc. took somewhat longer but eventually agreements were reached, contracts signed and all was ready for work to commence. The Vron Heloug Quarry to Pont Llyfni tramway and Porth Newbrough where now serious propositions.