In 1892, a group of local miners opened a
granite quarry to the north of the village. Among them was
William Williams Jones, who was a
draper from
Tywyn and attempted to open many quarries in the district – among them were
Dolgoch quarry,
Melinllynpair quarry, and
Nantcynog quarry (which were all unsuccessful – Tonfanau quarry was his only enduring mining venture). During the
First World War, several German
prisoners of war (who were being housed in
Tywyn worked at the quarry between June 1918 and November 1919 (after which they were transferred to
Frongoch internment camp near
Bala); one of them experienced a fatal accident – they died from the injuries in Machynlleth Cottage Hospital. The quarry closed in 1998, 106 years after opening. == See also ==