Mostyn Iron Works

Mostyn Iron Works Circa 1930 Courtesy of Coflein Mapping

 Mostyn Colliery was a coal mine in Flintshire, North Wales, that was owned in the later part of its operating life by the influential Mostyn family. The colliery was located at Mostyn on the banks of the River Dee.

When an ironworks was opened to produce iron using coal from Mostyn colliery in 1802, the company was renamed the 'Mostyn Coal and Iron Company'. In 1887 the Mostyn Coal and Iron Co was taken over by a Darwen (Lancashire) company to become the Darwen and Mostyn Iron Co Ltd. In 1927 A private company with two furnaces usually in blast at Darwen and two at Mostyn, on the North Wales coast. Known as a maker of spiegeleisen, ferromanganese, silicon spiegel, silicious iron and chrome iron, produced largely from foreign ores discharged from steamers at the furnace depots on the Dee. In 1951, business nationalised under the Iron and Steel Act; became part of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain. In 1959, Company sold to Barrow Hematite Steel Co by the Holding and Realization Agency.

Mostyn Iron Works Circa 1930 Courtesy of Coflein Mapping

The Mostyn furnaces would have been visible from Lowry's home at Inglewood, Caldy in the 1920s before the trees obscured the view in later years. The furnaces seem to have had a strong impact on the young Lowry's imagination. Later, the view across Burrard Inlet from Dollarton to the oil refinery must have reminded Lowry of the Mostyn furnaces of his youth.

Lowry refers to the furnaces in his early short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour': ""Over the Dee in Flintshire the furnaces glowed red." (Psalms & Songs Pg. 232)

Lowry makes several references in his novel In Ballast to the White Sea; the furnaces are visible from the Caldy Golf Club while Sigbjørn plays golf with his father "Dark clouds were blowing up from the sea, from the Point of Ayr: beyond, on the other side of the river in Flintshire, the Welsh mountains loomed leaden-grey: but the Mostyn furnaces were lashing vermillion against the angry sky, as though something, or the shadow of something, were there, gesticulating in the furnace light." and " Over in Flint against the Welsh mountains the Mostyn furnaces lashed red against the blackness." (Chapter V111); the smoke is apparent at Caldy before Sigbjørn leaves for Preston; "And outside a thick fog, as though all the smoke of Liverpool and Birkenhead, not to say of Chester and the furnaces of Mostyn, were hanging concentrated over the Wirral Peninsula. A gloomy prospect." (Chapter 1X) and finally the pilot sees smoke over Lancashire which echoes the furnaces; "Smoke-laden flames, in murderous competition, streaked ever higher in an obscene parody of the Mostyn furnaces which had once seemed to Sigbjørn to threaten the body of the night." (Chapter X111).

Voelnant Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Voel Nant Telegraph Station (or Foelnant), between Prestatyn and Gronant, approaching the Dee estuary. The present Foelnant building carries a stone tablet in south gable with the inscription "Voelnant Telegraph Built in 1841 by the Trustees of the Liverpool Docks". It was built on land belonging to the Nant Hall estate. The semaphore system was used as late as 1860 as an emergency fallback when the electric telegraph failed. Though probably redundant by 1879 the station remained in the occupation of the dock trustees at a rent of £5 per annum.

In the early C20 Foelnant station was brought back into use for spotting ships in distress and summoning lifeboats, but was closed c1907. A stand for launching rockets was set up nearby.

Veryd Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Veryd: Foryd, is a town near Rhyl on the North Wales coast. The station was built (1828) to supplement signals between Llysfaen and Voel Nant; it was moved (1841) when the land was wanted for the railway. No trace remains.

Llysfaen Telgraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of  In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Llysfaen is a small town in Conwy, on the North Wales coast at Colwyn Bay; the telegraph station, was on Mynydd Marion. Now privately owned. Built in 1841 with alterations and additions. Single storey brick building with stone copings under a slate roof; small wings with a flat roofed addition.

Great Orme Head Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Original building of timber, built for the Admiralty in 1800/2; taken over by the telegraph in 1827 and rebuilt in 1841. The station closed in c.1863.

The Telegraph Hotel was built on the site of the Telegraph Station in c.1910. The hotel was taken over by the RAF in 1939 and used as a Radar Station.

The telegraph tower is depicted on an historic chart clear to the summit of the Great Orme (676ft) and a track leading to a second tower or lighthouse.

Puffin Island Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

This station was part of the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph network and was originally built in 1827. The station was rebuilt in 1841 and converted in 1887 to a biological station.

Point Lynas Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Point Lynas Telegraph Station was built in 1840 to supercede that on Mynydd Llaneilian ; rebuilt in 1855. L-shaped building, converted to a private house, 'The Old Telegraph'.

Cefyndu Telegraph Station

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Cefyndu  Telegraph Station was in central Anglesey, near Llanryddlad. An earlier station at Carreglwyd moved to Cefyndu  in 1840.  Note spelling error of name.

Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph

Prior to the establishment of the Semaphore Telegraph ships approaching Liverpool were signalled to their owners by means of flags on Bidston Hill. At its peak there were 103 poles and masts sited on the hill. The watchman who reported the signals was initially located on a warehouse in Chapel Street, then on the tower of St. Nicholas Church and lastly on Tower Buildings.

In 1824 the Liverpool Dock Trustees applied to Parliament for authority to make improvements to Liverpool Docks and in response an Act of Parliament was passed on 27 June 1825 ‘for the further improvement of the Port, Harbour, and Town of Liverpool,’ which authorised the Liverpool Dock Trustees to:

“establish a speedy Mode of Communication to the Ship-owners and Merchants at Liverpool of the arrival of Ships and Vessels off the Port of Liverpool or the Coast of Wales, by building, erecting and maintaining Signal Houses, Telegraphs or such other Modes of Communication as to them shall seem expedient, between Liverpool and Hoylake, or between Liverpool and the Isle of Anglesea.”

The following year the Trustees authorised Barnard Lindsay Watson to carry out a survey. Watson reported back that the cost of the line he proposed would be £1700 for the stations and appropriate equipment. He recommended stations at Liverpool, Bidston, Hoylake, Golden Grove, Hill Beyond Abergele, Great Ormes Head, Round Table Penmon, Llaneilian, Llanfaithlu, Holyhead. On 1 August 1826 the sub-committee set up to oversee the project reported in favour and work commenced immediately. The line was amended and stations were erected at Liverpool, Bidston, Hilbre Island, Voel Nant, Foryd, Llysfaen, Great Ormes Head, Puffin Island, Point Lynas, Carreglwyd, Holyhead.

Route of the telegraph after the 1841 changes Holyhead Mountain - Cefdnu - Point Lynas - Puffin Island - Great Ormes Head - Llysfaen - Foryd - Voel Nant - Hilbre Island - Bidston - Liverpool Read More

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."

Holyhead Telegraph Station

Holyhead Telegraph Station was part of the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph. It was built for a previous local telegraph in 1810, taken over by the L&H Telegraph in 1827 and rebuilt in 1841. The building is now a ruinous walled complex.

Lowry refers to the Liverpool and Holyhead Telegraph in Chapter X111 of In Ballast to the White Sea; "A lone airman, that wintry Easter, was flying over the Irish Sea. Now that the fog had cleared completely he was following the line of the old telegraph stations to Liverpool: Holyhead, Cefn Du, Point Lynas, Puffin Island, Great Ormes Head. Making a spurt, he covered the seventeen miles between Llysfaen over Veryd to Voel Nant in seven minutes."