Aberdulais Tin Works & Waterfall

Hi everyone. We visited this place today, and I have to say, I was totally Taken aback by the waterfall here! It was so beautiful! I just wanted to take photo after photo! How I would love to have a cottage here just to look at it everyday. Here is a bit of history below.
An extraordinary site combining over 400 years of industrial heritage with one of the most beautiful waterfalls in south Wales, Aberdulais has been used for copper smelting, iron working, milling textiles and grain, and working tin. These industries were drawn to Aberdulais for one major reason; the presence of readily available water power, provided by the falls, which tumble down a narrow gorge in the Dulais river. Over 160,000,000 litres of water can pass over the falls in a single day, providing a steady source of cheap water power.

The first industry to be established at Aberdulais was copper smelting, which sounds innocuous enough on the surface, but it was industry with a secretive purpose. The date was 1584, and Elizabeth I was in desperate need of money to prepare for a conflict with Spain; a conflict that would shortly bring the Spanish Armada sailing towards England. A German engineer named Ulrich Frosse designed a new method of smelting copper to turn into coinage. Elizabeth approved his plan, but naturally wanted the affair kept secret. Frosse decided to set up his copper smelting works at Aberdulais, far from prying eyes. It was a wise choice, for aside from water power, the site had ready access to timber and coal. Over time the falls were used to power iron working machinery, textile and corn mills, but the industry most associated with Aberdulais is tin plating. Tin from Aberdulais was exported around the world, and Welsh tin output dwarfed the production of anyplace else in the world. Unfortunately, the very success of the Welsh tin plating industry brought about its downfall, when the American government put heavy import duties on imported tinplate, and the Welsh industry collapsed.One of the major highlights at Aberdulais is the overshot water wheel, the largest electricity-generating water wheel in Europe. This huge wheel is not an historical relic; it activily generates green energy that is fed into the national power grid. The wheel dominates the site, though it is dwarfed by a solitary brick smokestack, which teeters high above the ruins of buildings used to process the tin. One of these is The Tin House, where iron plates were hand-dipped in pots of molten tin. Set in the floor you can still see the ash pits which were used to catch the residue from hot vats of tin and grease. Once dipped, the plates were cooled in oil, then polished, graded, and boxed for shipping around the world. 

As you can see, it really is a fabulous place to visit, so rich in history. Thank you for following me. Take care. Love Theresa x