Buddle at Frongoch Mine (AW328)
©Paul Edwards 2013
This is one of the buddles that were used in the ore separation process at Frongoch lead and zinc mine (NGR: SN7218574301). Brushes were used to spread the crushed material around the circular structures to separate the metal-rich ores from the lighter rock dust. There are a number of buddles present at this site, some of which have wooden bases and some of which have stone bases like this one. Some of the wooden buddles were excavated by the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust in 2012 and by Dyfed Archaeological Trust in 2014, but all of these have since been re-buried to preserve them. Frongoch was one of the most productive metal mines in west Wales and was worked from the late 18th century to the start of the 20th century. Natural Resources Wales is carrying out work to reduce metals-pollution from the mine on streams entering the River Ystwyth. Canon EOS 40D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens at 10mm, hand-held. Exposure F16 at 1/250 sec. Original image in Raw format.