Trefor Granite Quarry

The industrial narrow gauge railway trefor quarry railway opened in 1865 and brought rock from the quarry to the coast but was gradually replaced by road transport and was finally closed in 1960.

Trefor granite quarry.

Trefor quarry perched at the edge of the north wales coast just west of caernarfon still churns out high quality curling stones although the place feels rather desolate these days. A stroll around the top of what i assume to be some kind of stone crushing structure at trefor north wales. Curling stones are made from three types of quartz free granite. The wagons were top loaded at the stone crushing mill located on the quarry s bottom level with granite road chippings.

Trefor granite quarry ailsa craig paddy s milestone visitors to the barony st. Trefor quarry sh36304600 developed to be the world s biggest granite quarry and by 1931 had produced 1 157 000 tons of setts. Ailsa craig and the trefor granite quarry in wales. By now the harbour is used as a sheltered anchorage for fishing boats.

A granite quarry trefor granite quarry or the yr eifl quarry opened there in 1850. John buildings will frequently gaze out to the sea and ask what the small island is in the distance. Only two places on earth is said to have the blue hone or common green granite which has a low absorption rate and keeps water from freezing and eroding the stone. Curling stones require this rare granite that has low water absorption which prevents the action of repeatedly freezing water from eroding the stone.

Even today 60 70 percent of all curling stones comes from granite extracted from alisa craig. Trefor granite is used to make curling rocks. Trefor village developed after the granite quarry opened and the doc bach dock quay and harbourwere built for exporting setts. Blue hone ailsa craig common green both found on ailsa craig island and trefor which can be found in the trefor quarry of wales.

Trefor granite is used to make curling stones. But during a rare few hours of sunshine last weekend it was a magical place to be.