At the path junction, take the steps to the left hand side down to the Meadow millpond and weir. Continue down the steps past the Old Meadow Mill remains to the gates below. Chair and buggy users can avoid the steps by taking the smaller path to the left and rejoining the walk at the gates. Copper processing Brian Taylor, Chairman of the Greenfield Valley Association, explains the significance of copper to the Greenfield Valley:  "The copper process during the 17th - 18th centuries had a profound influence on Britain's trade and was mainly the result of one man - Thomas Williams - The Copper King. As a result of copper being found and mined at Anglesey in 1768, he founded the Parys Mine Co. in 1774, taking the ore to St Helens or Swansea for smelting."
"The copper ingots then came to Greenfield Valley to be made into Neptunes or saltpans and items for the slave trade, and more importantly, into copper bolts and sheets. The bolts were made to a secret formula, which many countries, including Holland, France and Germany tried to steal, held copper sheets to the hulls of wooden ships. " "The sheets prevented the torada worm from eating into the hull and causing the bottom to fall out of the ship. Both the Royal and merchant navies had copper bottomed ships and it is credited that due to this practice the ships were faster and more manoeuvrable at Trafalgar, giving Nelson his victory." "Copper sheets from the hull of HMS Victory can be seen at the museum in the Heritage Park. The sheets, pots and pans etc. were produced at both the Greenfield (Battery) Mill and Meadow Mill, Meadow Mill also later produced a patented printing roller for printing onto muslin and other cloths. The copper industry of Greenfield Valley certainly put GREAT into Great Britain." |
