| Point of Ayr | |
|---|---|
 The dunes andlighthouse at the Point of Ayr | |
  Point of Ayr Location withinFlintshire | |
| OS grid reference | SJ1202 8530 |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HOLYWELL |
| Postcode district | CH8 |
| Dialling code | 01745 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| |
ThePoint of Ayr (Welsh:Y Parlwr Du) is thenorthernmost point of mainlandWales. It is situated immediately to the north ofTalacre inFlintshire, at the mouth of theDee estuary. It is to the southwest of theLiverpool Bay area of theIrish Sea. It is the site of a RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)nature reserve RSPB Dee Estuary Point of Ayr,[2] and is part ofGronant Dunes and Talacre WarrenSite of Special Scientific Interest.
For many years acolliery operated at the Point of Ayr at the northern extremity of theFlintshire Coalfield; it was one of the last remaining operationaldeep mines in Wales. The first trial borings took place in 1865, under the direction ofLord Mostyn, owner ofMostyn Colliery, a few miles away. The borings seemed successful, and thePrestatyn Coal Company was formed to commence operations proper, however the project was abandoned before it got off the ground. In 1873, the site was investigated a second time, by a newly formed company, theWestern Mostyn Colliery Company, however the trial shaft was not successful, and the project was again abandoned.
In 1883, a third company was formed, thePoint of Ayr Colliery Company, and in 1890 they struck a seam. Coal at this time was brought to the surface by a team of 75pit ponies.[3] A second shaft was also sunk around this time. According to theInspector of Mines records, in 1896 the pit employed 356 men producing coal for domestic and industrial uses. A third shaft was sunk sometime after theNational Coal Board took over the site followingnationalisation in 1947. Thecoal field extended northwards under the Irish Sea. Six men have been killed during the sink of a new shaft on the 4th of July 1952. By 1953, 738 men were producing 213,000 tons of coal annually. Point of Ayr colliery closed on 23 August 1996.[4][5][6] Nothing now remains of the colliery. However, like many former coal mines, the name is retained by "Point of Ayr Colliery Band", a Brass Band competing at Championship level.
The site was chosen in the early eighties for a demonstration "Oil from Coal" plant jointly funded by the government, the National Coal Board and others. Bench scale trials was carried out on site but the project became a victim of the miners strike and the subsequent cut back in research funding for this and clean burn technology. The plant never became operational and was scrapped.
The Point of Ayr is also the place wherenatural gas from the Celtic gas-fields comes ashore. Gas is piped through apipeline 33.5 km (20 mile) long from theDouglas Complex of gas andpetroleumdrilling platforms in the Irish Sea. The Point of Ayr gas terminal has a gas processing capacity of 300 millioncubic feet (8.5 millioncubic metres) per day atstandard conditions. The facilities remove methanol (used for hydrate inhibition), water and condensate. The gas issweetened with an amine solvent to remove sulphur compounds to below 3.3 ppm and chilled to reduce the hydrocarbon dewpoint. The processing plant was originally part of theBHP development of the Liverpool Bay area,[7] but now owned and operated byEni.[8] Gas is transported through a 27-km (17 mile) underground pipeline at 30 bar along the North Wales coast to Connah's Quay. After further processing, the gas is sold toUniper, for theircombined cyclegas turbinepower station atConnah's Quay, onDeeside, in Flintshire.[9]
The Point of Ayr also gives its name to alighthouse, built in 1776, though inactive since 1883. It stands onTalacre beach, at the entrance to the River Deeestuary. The lighthouse once displayed two lights. The main beam, at 63 feet, shone seaward towardsLlandudno. A secondary beam shone up the River Dee, towards the hamlet ofDawpool, inCheshire, on theEnglish side of the estuary. Whilst in service, the lighthouse was painted with red and white stripes, and had a red lantern housing. It was replaced in 1844 with a metalpile lighthouse, bearing a white light,[10] put up by order of theCorporation of Trinity House.[11] This new structure was itself replaced in 1883 with alightship.[12]
