Industries of the Ceiriog Valley

The Ceiriog Valley, named after the river which flows through it, is some 12 miles long and runs generally west to east, south of the Vale of Llangollen, from the Berwyn foothills to the historic border town of Chirk.  At the head of the valley is the village of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog.

The river powered a series of fulling mills in the valley from as early as the 14th century, using Fullers Earth Clay to transform  rough woollen cloth woven in local farmhouses into a softer flannel material for production of blankets and apparel elsewhere.

There were numerous mines and quarries on both sides of the river from Tregeiriog to Chirk.  The Glyn Valley Tramway transported the mineral produce out of the valley, initially onto the Shropshire Union Canal at Gledrid and the Great Western Railway at Trehowell Bridge (nr Preesgweene), later via new interchanges built at Chirk Railway Station and nearby Black Park Canal Wharf.  Coal and other essential supplies were transported by the tramway into the valley.