I got to know maureen in 2011 through blaze, a poetry group in my hometown northwich in cheshire. Mining in the alyn valley all but ceased during this period. Rhydymwyn valley works set to reveal its wartime secrets as. Top secret wartime tunnels which housed mustard gas and where. Rhydymwyn tunnel tours will open to the public in 2018 for five special tours in april, may, june, july and september. During world war ii an area was developed as a base for storing significant amounts of mustard gas shells. Visits to these tunnels are strictly limited by the sites landlord defra and the newcomen society has been able to book a party visit on the. Visits to these tunnels are strictly limited by the sites landlord defra and the newcomen society has been able to book a party visit on the morning of tuesday 21st may. Located in a lovely isolated area of north wales, rhydymwyn valley has been concealing a secret for over 75 years. At one point more than 2,000 men and women worked at the rhydymwyn valley works where over 100 buildings and an extensive rail network were built.
Dear mr barber i attach a response to your freedom of information request of 10 june. Landscapes of chemical and biological warfare bbc news. The rhydymwyn tunnels in flintshire once housed a mustard gas factory and has a network of tunnels some cut right into the hillside. Rhydymwyn s role in the cold war, now i am become death, destroyer of worlds. As soon as world war ii was declared, the dissused glyn rhonwy slate quarry in the heart of. Once at rhydymwyn, the gold would have been stacked in the tunnels in eightfeethigh piles. Along the main road from the old sardis chapel, and only a few feet from the edge of the a541 there is an ancient well ffynnon leinw leinw comes from the welsh word llanw meaning tide as it is reported that the water in the well rose and ebbed with the tides of the dee estuary. The site is now operated as a controlled access nature reserve and historical site by rhydymwyn history society. Ministry of supply factory, valley was a second world war site in rhydymwyn. These documents are available for download from our site in adobe pdf format. The munitions works at rhydymwyn, in flintshire played a.
Former deputy sheriff eddy craig right to travel traffic stop script washington state law duration. Rhydymwyn valley works tunnels tunnels that housed thousands of mustard gas shells during the height of production in the war years will soon be open to the public for the first time. Today, the rhydymwyn valley works site is a flourishing nature preserve, home to a wide variety of plants and wildlife. At its height, during world war two, 2,200 people worked at the rhydymwyn facility. Rhydymwyn valley works set to reveal its wartime secrets. If you would like to receive any of the attachments.
Following years of secrecy, the hidden history of a world war ii site is being brought to light. Cris ebbs excellent book, the milwr tunnel, bagillt to loggerheads 18971987 will give you more details about the mine, the tunnels under hendre and the surrounding countryside. About us rhydymwyn2 rhydymwyn valley history society. Rhydymwyn tunnel tours 2020 we have begun taking and confirming book. Occupying 35 hectares of the alyn valley to the south of the village of rhydymwyn is one of the uks most mysterious and fascinating. The tunnels tours can be booked by downloading the form from this link. Follow the latest news for rhydymwyn in clwyd, wales, uk local news and information in your area. Part of britains hidden wartime history lies just outside the village. Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians mine explorer and mining history videos on youtube connect with other mine explorers on facebook.
There will be a small charge to include a buffet lunch on site. This was an ideal site as it was well hidden in a relatively narrow concealed valley and tunnels could also be created to provide complete protection from enemy bombs. The rhydymwyn valley history society was founded in may 2008 and its core interest is the. Rhydymwyn valley tunnels rhydymwyn valley is located in north wales, not far from mold. The content is mostly cut and paste and is probably assembled by a rambler. The thirty tanks from woodside were emptied and removed to the tunnels. The tunnels tours can be booked by downloading the form from this link and sending it to us.
For years the secrecy surrounding the rhydymwyn valley works site, near mold, served only to fuel rumour about what, if anything, could still be hidden in underground tunnels that once housed. The rhydymwyn valley history society is an organisation which researches and promotes the operation of the former ministry of supplys valley works in the. Ifcpp inside north wales secret bunkers that homed. Visitors are allowed access to the first few yards of the tunnel at present. Ici suggested rhydymwyn, said the experts, because it was 30 miles away from its production hub in runcorn, cheshire. The rhydymwyn valley history society holds a large stock of books which are available to members for research. You can now go inside secret world war two tunnels in. The rhydymwyn contribution to the manhattan project, the history of the british bomb, scandal, spies and the theatre. Inside north wales secret bunkers that homed tonnes of. The antelope field site, whose tanks had been removed to the tunnels early in the war, was cleared for civilian use. The opening of box tunnel therefore started the golden age of quarrying at coronas, which took place from 1850 to 1910. Introduction today i am delighted to post a first guest blog on grandys landing.
The rhydymwyn valley history societys core interest is the operation of the former valley works at rhydymwyn in flintshire, wales. Search for garage services and other automotive services near you on. Rhydymwyn history society the land had been purchased by the ministry of supply in 1939 and over 100 specialised buildings were. Inside the secret welsh tunnel complex people rarely get. Documents for the period august 20 to the present concerning the tunnels at rhydymwyn. Requests similar to request for information concerning. Occupying 35 hectares of the alyn valley to the south of the village of rhydymwyn is one of the uks most mysterious and fascinating historical sites. The rhydymwyn valley history society is an organisation which researches and promotes the operation of the former ministry of supplys valley works in the alyn valley at rhydymwyn in northeast wales. The rhydymwyn valley works tunnel tour dates the tunnel tours will open to the public for five special tours in april, may, june, july and september.
Focuses on the ministry of supply factory, rhydymwyn, near mold, north wales aka valley works and its important contribution to wwii and the part it might have played had events dictated. Rhydymwyn world war two tunnels open to public bbc news. Latest news in rhydymwyn in clwyd, wales, uk inyourarea. A working party under the umbrella of friends of rhydymwyn valley secured funding from cadwyn clwyd and after over two years of work produced a. The tunnels and the factory site were administered separately.
At right angles to the three main tunnels are four cross chambers you can find a plan diagram on the rhydymwyn. Access to the tunnels is strictly limited and can only be arranged as part of a. Guest blog rhydymwyn by maureen weldon grandys landing. The history of the valley works at rhydymwyn, a history of the rhydymwyn tunnels, projects wellbright, mallard, folium and python. A fascinating secret world is hidden in the village of rhydymwyn near mold. Rhydymwyn valley works jhlphotography a selection appears below. There are also tours of the empty tunnels where they insist you wear silly clothes. Rhydymwyn have now got the task of building on that and will be looking to move further up the table in season 2014 despite limited resources and funds. The landscape of britain continues to be littered with the remains of past conflicts.
If you are interested in joining the party, please email. And for my first guest, who better than my good friend, the awardwinning poet maureen weldon. Before the final tunnel arrangement was achieved two changes in required storage capacity had been made and changes made to the original layout. Posted by andy on october 20, 2015 december 20, 2019. Take a tour of the secret north wales tunnel complex that people. And in 2008, 21 of the buildings and tunnels were listed as ancient scheduled monuments. Members of rhydymwyn valley history society later unearthed proof the miles of tunnels under the nature reserve would have had a key strategic role in. Its a lovely little isolated spot, but its also been concealing a secret for over 75 years part of britains hidden wartime history is located just to the south of the village. As you are aware, we have handled your request under the freedom of information act 2000 foia please find enclosed a copy of the information you requested. Valley works rhydymwyn a secret site heritage tours.
The new parish of rhydymwyn was created on 31 march 1865, comprising. An area was cleared on the surface for heavily armed troops to. Works at rhydymwyn which we received on 09 june 2014. When the milwr tunnel eventually reached hendre an old shaft known as the olwyn goch the red wheel was. The official opening of the rhydymwyn tunnels took place on saturday, 22 april 2017 when. Rhydymwyn valley is not in any way secret and is a nature reserve open to the public seven days a week although it seems you have to book online and join some society for official access. Mine exploration forum view topic uk mine exploration forums north wales rhydymwyn tunnels open day. Response by welsh government to colin barber on 8 july 2014. Top secret wartime tunnels which housed mustard gas and. I am the chairman of rhydymwyn valley history society and i can tell you that the title is a misnomer. Despite starting life as simple quarries, the network of tunnels have had a varied history that has reflected events above ground. Rhydymwyn tunnel tours 2020 we have begun taking and confirming bookings for the 2020 tunnel tours at the rhydymwyn valley site.
Book now for the 2020 tunnel tours april is totally full but there are a few vacancies for may but more for june. While the tunnels were being excavated temporary storage was made available by sinking twelve 65 ton tanks adjacent to the site on antelope field. The rhydymwyn valley history society was founded in may 2008 and its core interest is the operation. Tunnels at a former top secret chemical weapons store and nuclear weapon test site will stage a play. Visitors to the site can still take a tour through an eerie maze of underground tunnels and marvel at the huge bombproof caverns that once stored mustard gas. Take a tour of the secret north wales tunnel complex that. By the eve of the second world war, however, the ministry of supply came up with a new use for the site at rhydymwyn. Next monthly meeting cancelled the visitor centre, 17, nant alyn road, rhydymwyn, ch7 5hq.
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