The Radyr and Morganstown Soapbox

Jacko

Yes and we have some piccies in the photo album on this site - try http://www.radyr.org.uk/homepages/photo … ords=garth (or go to Photo Album and enter keywords: garth or caves)

The problem is not that they're blocked off, but the dolomite limestone is being extracted on an industrial scale. I think there was an entrance high up above the Tynant pub, but near it there's also a vertical drop to the road to the new tunnel entrance. Not recommended.

sorry just seen water. does anyone know if there is a risk of the water ever escaping?

FWIW there is an interesting little book called 'Iron In The Soul' by a gentleman called John Tyler who used to live in Morganstown (I think he died a few years ago) which gives an account of the industrial past of the Taffs Well and Gwaelod-y-Garth area, including the old iron mines deep inside Garth Wood.  He used to work in the mines.  I don't have an ISBN for it but it was published about 1988 or 1989 by Taffs Well Community Council, maybe the library has a copy.

The mines were surveyed by cave diver Martyn Farr and local commercial diver Neil Brock a couple of years ago at the behest of the quarry owners, who wanted to to establish the exact position of the water and any flooded passages relative to their workings.  As a previous poster said it would not be to Cemex's advantage to breach the flooded workings!  As I understand it there were no interesting discoveries (gold bullion, skeletons, unknown passages, etc) made during the diving explorations.

Lesser Garth Cave is reached by striking steeply up the hill behind the allotments by the pub and was gated and locked about the time that the quarry started excavating the tunnel through from the main working quarry to the old quarry behind the pub.  It is basically a single passage running back into the hill, but should only be attempted by properly equipped cavers as there are several significant drops involved (I'm aware of the fire brigade having to rescue at least one person from here who attempted it without the proper gear or experience).  In the early eighties an extension to the cave was found, named Ogof Fynnon Taff I think, and through this it was possible for a while to do a through trip coming out in the corner of the active quarry.  The entrance there though has now long since been blocked by quarry spoil.

As an aside it used to be possible (when the vandals had forced the gates at the ends open) to walk through the old railway tunnel, also reached by walking along behind the morganstown allotments.  This tunnel has now been breached by the active quarry workings and is no longer a possible route.

Cheers.

The Caption in the photo album: Interior of Iron Workings. Lesser Garth. was provided by Allan Cook (as representative of the Local History Society). Unfortunately many of the caves are inside the quarry workings and are being removed as part of the limestone extraction. If you are particularly interested, I would suggest you contact the Quarry Manager who may be able to help.

I added a photo http://www.radyr.org.uk/homepages/photo … =West Face taken by Phil Kitcher. On this you can make out the old Barry Railway tunnel just right of centre. If thats what they did to the tunnel I can only speculate what they may have done to the caves.

The full set of photos are at http://www.radyr.org.uk/homepages/photo … ords=garth

Hi All, Just joined the forum.  I used to live in Morganstown in the 1950s/1960s and as kids we used to play up in the Garth wood when the quarry was quite small.  I have been down into the cave in the wood above the Ty Nant many times back then.  The mines up on top of the Garth used to be called the Ivanhoe Mines but not sure if that was the real name or one made up at the time.  I also remember very well watching trains hauling goods coming out of the tunnel in the garth woods and traveling along the 'Barry Batter' (not sure of the spelling?). When the line was closed we used to walk through the tunnel with torches all the way to the other end which came out above the Ynys Bridge and the track then went over the old steel viaduct.  We would stand in the middle of the viaduct and drop stones down into the river Taff.  Happy Days!  Dave.