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Cann Quarry is situated on the east bank of the river Plym in a deep wooded valley about half a mile upstream from Plym Bridge. Standing on the Cann viaduct facing Cann Quarry everything is peaceful and calm, nature has worked her way back into the quarry and the musical backdrop is the song of birds, rustling of trees and scurrying of squirrels and rabbits and of course the gentle rippling of the river. |
A few hundred years ago the Quarry (which dates from at least 1660) was mined for slate and would have appeared very different. It would have been a busy bustling area. Men working in the quarry would have lived in the cottages with their family's. The water supply for the cottages would have come from a near by well which can still be seen. Work in the Quarry would have been overseen by the mine manager, who lived in a much bigger house further away.
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Cottages
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The
Mine Managers house
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Over the Quarry's life time two different methods for transporting the slate were developed. The weir was built to enable transportation of the slate by canal. Originally the slate would have been towed by horse to the canal and then loaded onto barges where it would be distributed for various uses throughout the country. This method of transportation only lasted for about ten years.
The second method of transportation was to build a tramway directly along side the cannel where a horse and cart would move the slate on to its next destination. With so much activity around the Quarry the sights and sounds would have been quite different to those we experience today.
In 1831 Thomas Allom produced the engraving below of the Quarry. The engraving would possibly have been made on copper and then used to create a print, which would then have been coloured by hand.
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Various articles have been written about the history of Cann Quarry, in Plymouth newspaper The Herald. Click on the Links below to read more.
"As Time Draws On" by Chris Robinson.
