Latest news with #RobertBennett
BBC News
21-06-2025
- BBC News
Y Felinheli pub landlord finds hidden tunnel in basement
A landlord who found a secret tunnel under his pub hopes it can be used to create a space celebrating the area's cultural Bennett made the discovery beneath Yr Heulyn pub, part of Port Dinorwic Marina in Y Felinheli, Gwynedd, which he bought as part of a consortium last tunnel formed part of a railway that transported slate from the nearby Dinorwic Quarry, once one of the biggest in the world, to the harbour."We want to bring back that cultural heritage to the area – make it a working museum in effect," he said. Mr Bennett, who lives locally and has kept a boat at the harbour for the last eight years, said he had seen the area "declining". When the previous owners of the marina went into administration, he and a group of investors bought it as part of plans to rejuvenate it. This has included infrastructure upgrades as well as the opening of Yr Heulyn, a pub which was previously a tapas restaurant on the at old photographs of the area, Mr Bennett said he suspected the old railway ran close to the venue and one afternoon decided to look closer in the venue's basement to "see what we could find".The group broke through a thick plaster wall, behind which they found the tunnel with "thousands" of discarded bottles in it. The most recent bottle dated back to 2003, which is when Mr Bennett believes the wall was put up. Slate has been quarried in north Wales for thousands of years but demand rapidly increased during the Industrial Revolution when it was used for the roofs of factories and workers' Wales slate was said to have "roofed the 19th Century world", including prominent buildings such as Westminster Hall and the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, Australia. Dinorwic Quarry – located on the edge of Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia – was once the second largest quarry in the world before it closed in 1969. Although the tracks were removed, the tunnel had been part of a railway used to transport slate from the quarry to the harbour, where it was either exported or sent around the UK. Mr Bennett said the investors were still deciding what to do with the space, but that they wanted to use it to "celebrate the cultural heritage of the area"."It has potential as a museum, or maybe an extension of the pub – it would be a fantastic spot as a speakeasy pub hidden away, but we haven't got that far yet," he said.
Wales Online
15-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Pub owner knocked through wall and found 'lost tunnel' under Welsh village
Pub owner knocked through wall and found 'lost tunnel' under Welsh village He now has big plans for the tunnel - although he faces hurdles The owner of a marina pub made an unexpected discovery when he knocked down a plaster wall to find a "hidden tunnel" beneath a village in Gwynedd. Following the Waterside Consortium's acquisition of Port Dinorwic Marina in Y Felinheli in spring last year, it was decided to refurbish several buildings, one of which was the former La Marina eatery that has now been converted into a pub named Yr Heulyn. The site's renovation sparked an interest in what was behind a plasterboard wall at the back of the premises. Aware of the existence of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel, an old railway line that transported slate from Llanberis quarries to the waterside, Robert Bennett was curious as to whether it was connected to their location. Upon investigating further, a small hole was initially made in the wall, followed by a worker inspecting it closer. A restricted storage space was initially discovered, and after forcing open an entrance to a more spacious area, an ample storage space containing bottles was found at the base of the old tunnel. Article continues below The bottom of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel which had been used as a bottle store An expert in historic tunnels was then invited for an inspection, reports North Wales Live. Rob said: "There was a plaster wall at the back of the pub that had been built by the last owners but we didn't know the tunnel was behind it. "But I knew of the tunnel's existence and I could see a curved buttress at the rear of the pub. "We decided to knock through the plaster wall, initially just a small hole and we could see rooms behind it. "We sent someone in and later enlarged the hole so we could go through. "We found that a previous owner had used part of the tunnel as storage, there were thousands of empty bottles in there. Pub finds 'lost' tunnel at rear of site "The most recent date on one of the bottles was 2003 so we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We've no idea why it was blocked up." The discovery has generated significant interest, and Rob hopes to transform the tunnel into a unique feature of the pub, highlighting its importance in the marina's and village's history. However, he faces challenges, primarily determining who owns the tunnel. He said: "We would like to do something with it - we have lots of ideas. "One is to create a little speakeasy at the lower end of the tunnel with glass over the tunnel and lighting so people could see inside it." But he added: "Our deeds end at the wall and we don't actually know who owns it. It means that we can't get in there and start doing anything until we can resolve this. Pub finds 'lost' tunnel at rear of site "If we can find out who owns it we can then carry out a survey and see what is possible. "There is a lot of interest in the tunnel, some remember playing in it as children before it was blocked up. Others have family who worked in the quarries and would use this tunnel for work." The Dinowic Quarries Railway, also known as the Padarn Railway, was established in 1824 to link the quarries at Llanberis in North Wales with Port Dinowic on the Menai Strait. In 1843, the route was altered to include a rope-worked incline and a 92-yard tunnel from Penscoins into Port Dinorwic. This railway transported slate from the surrounding Llanberis quarries to the waterside, where it was then shipped across the UK and worldwide. Initially, workers used the line unofficially, but over time a more formalised service was introduced. Article continues below The service ceased operations in November 1961, with the main Dinorwic quarry closing down in subsequent years. The winding house and neighbouring cottages at Penscoins were destroyed by the Y Felinheli bypass, and the top of the tunnel was sealed off, later becoming overgrown and filled in.
North Wales Live
15-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Pub knocked through wall and found 'lost' tunnel that runs under Gwynedd village
The owner of a marina pub knocked through a plaster wall to discover a 'lost tunnel' that runs under a Gwynedd village. Robert Bennett's Waterside Consortium bought Port Dinorwic Marina in Y Felinheli out of administration in the spring of last year. This included a number of buildings, one of which had been the La Marina restaurant. That site has been turned into a bar called Yr Heulyn. During work on the site they were interested in what was behind a plasterboard wall at the rear. Rob had been aware of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel that ran down from Penscoins, situated above the village. It was part of the line that carried slate from the quarries around Llanberis down to the waterside. He had a theory it could be behind their site and decided to take a look behind the wall at the back of the pub. They initially knocked a small hole in the plaster to take look before a worker on the project then climbed in for a look around. They found an initial small storeroom before then forcing open a door to a larger store of bottles at the bottom of the historic tunnel. An explorer of historic tunnels later took a closer peek after being invited down. Rob said: "There was a plaster wall at the back of the pub that had been built by the last owners but we didn't know the tunnel was behind it. But I knew of the tunnel's existence and I could see a curved buttress at the rear of the pub. "We decided to knock through the plaster wall, initially just a small hole and we could see rooms behind it. We sent someone in and later enlarged the hole so we could go through. "We found that a previous owner had used part of the tunnel as storage, there were thousands of empty bottles in there. The most recent date on one of the bottles was 2003 was we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We've no idea why it was blocked up." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox It has sparked huge interest and Rob would love to turn this into something of a feature of the pub, shining a light on this vital part of the history of the marina and wider village. But he faces challenges, not least the fact he needs to establish who actually owns the tunnel. He said: "We would like to do something with it - we have lots of ideas. One is to create a little speakeasy at the lower end of the tunnel with glass over the tunnel and lighting so people could see inside it." But he added: "Our deeds end at the wall and we don't actually know who owns it. It means that we can't get in there and start doing anything until we can resolve this. If we can find out who owns it we can then carry out a survey and see what is possible. "There is a lot of interest in the tunnel, some remember playing in it as children before it was blocked up. Others have family who worked in the quarries and would use this tunnel for work." The Dinowic Quarries Railway - also known as Padarn Railway - was built in 1824 to connect the quarries at Llanberis in North Wales with Port Dinowic on the Menai Strait. The alignment was altered in 1843 which would include a rope worked incline and the need for a 92 yard tunnel into Port Dinorwic from Penscoins, situated above the village. This carried slate from the quarries around Llanberis down to the waterside, from where it went across the UK and the globe on ships and trains. The line also carried workers along the route - initially unofficially before a more formalised service. The service closed in November 1961, followed by the main Dinorwic quarry itself in later years.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Kneecap furore: hip-hop v hypocrisy
Kneecap are, of course, free to urge gig-goers to kill Tories – but freedom of speech also involves being prepared to deal with consequences (Listen closely to the Kneecap furore. You'll hear hypocrisy from all sides, 1 May). While it's hardly surprising that music biz folk have leapt in to 'defend' Kneecap, would they be so eager if it was a group of activists saying: 'The only good musician is a dead musician. Kill your local bands now'?Norman MillerBrighton Kneecap's comments about killing Tory MPs should be condemned. However, conflating these comments, which the band have apologised for, with their condemnation, at Coachella, of Israel's attack on Gaza seeks to close down the argument regarding Israel's actions, which many people around the world are appalled by. This is about being able to express moral BennettOxford No one would seriously defend off-the-cuff comments made by Kneecap during a raucous live performance. In 2002, the Guardian reported that the actor John Malkovich named the politician George Galloway and the Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk – saying 'I'd rather just shoot them' – for their support for Palestine. Was he cancelled, or even rebuked?Denis JacksonGlasgow I remember the Tory party being happy to accept donations from Frank Hester because he apologised after he said that Diane Abbott 'should be shot' (Biggest Tory donor said looking at Diane Abbott makes you 'want to hate all black women', 11 March 2024).Duncan MacgregorLeeds Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2025 primaries: Who is running for township supervisor in Wayne County?
Townships in Wayne County have supervisor elections in 2025. March 11 was the deadline for candidates to file. Primary elections will be held on May 20. The voter registration deadline is May 5. No supervisor candidates filed for the Democratic or Republican ballot. Republican Robert Bennett filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. No supervisor candidates filed for the Democratic or Republican ballot. Republicans Jasper Bianchi and Marcus Lienert filed to run for a six-year term. Republican Stephen J. Rickard filed to run for a two-year term. Lienert and Rickard are current supervisors. No Democrat filed to run for either term. Democrat Mark Lopatofsky filed to run. No Republican filed to run. Republican Steven R. Adams filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republicans Rebecca Keiper and Edward Holewa filed to run. Keiper is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Gregory S. Reed filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Scottie Swingle filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Charles E. Augello filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Protus E. Phillips filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Lawrence Newport filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Darrin Peck filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican William R. Dreyer filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Peter Steffen filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Bruce Chandler filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican James C. Neu Jr. filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Vincent Rivezzi filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. Democrat Carolyn Hanel filed to run. Republican Russell Mosher filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. No supervisor candidates filed for the Democratic or Republican ballot. Republican Aaron Henneforth filed to run. No Democrat filed to run. Republican Dan Weidner filed to run. He is currently a supervisor. No Democrat filed to run. This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Who are the township supervisor primary candidates in Wayne County?
