Plas Cwm Llan, Snowdon
At about 3300ft, on the Watkin Trail to the summit of Snowdon, alongside a stream, is the abandoned upland farm of Plas Cwm Llan, a solidly built one and a half storey, 19th century house with its field walls, slate enclosures and outbuildings spreading along the lower slopes of the valley (cwm) side.
This had been the residence of the South Snowdon Quarry Manager and was indeed a lot grander than other quarry buildings in the valley it being the only building that showed evidence of having been rendered.
In his walking guide, The Welsh Peaks, W. A. Poucher recounts that “the dilapidated condition of this 'pleasant residence' is accounted for by Commandos using it for target practice in the Second World War and is now an unsightly ruin. ” [Poucher 1962, page 94 and see pl. 29] and there are indeed a great many pock-marks caused by bullets still clearly visible on the render.
The slate fencing surrounding the small enclosures is also riddled with bullet holes. Looking through these holes you can line up with corresponding holes on the fence on the far side of the enclosure. Some slate showed evidence of tight ‘grouping’ where two or more rounds had passed so close together they’d formed one large, irregular hole…
It was also clear that the fence had been fired at from both sides as the were ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ holes – maybe indicating a 'pitched battle' or 'ambush'…
Photos courtesy of Nick Collins.
|
Date: 20/03/2011
Size: 6 items
|