Thanks to a very busy Clueless_Goose we have several new caches since our last post:
GCB5YXY REALLY SideTracked – Port Dinorwic by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T1.5
GCB5RKC SideTracked – Llanfairpwll by Clueless_Goose Mystery D3.5/T1.5
GCB5V3A SideTracked – Bangor (Gwynedd) Traditional D2.5/T1.5
GCB5QE3 Pont Britannia by Clueless_Goose Multi D2/T2.5
GCB5M1E Taken for Granted by Clueless_Goose Multi T2/D2
Premium Member Only
GCB60FP Water Under The Bridge by OuroborosOutdoors Traditional D4/T4.5
GCB5V2C REALLY SideTracked – Griffith’s Crossing by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T1.5
It is nice to see a cache back here, see below for a brief history of this once ‘famous’ station.
Event Reminder
GCB5JC5 9 Usual Suspects Nosh & Natter 77 by 9 usual Suspects
When: Thursday 24th April 2025
Where: Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr, LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm
For this months Nosh & Natter we are back at the Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr.
Griffith’s Crossing, a Brief History
The Griffiths Crossing Station was a Station on the Menai Bridge to Afon Wen line which was opened in stages between 1852 and 1871.
In 1911 a ceremony was held in which the future King Edward VIII was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle. Part of the event was a procession into the town led by King George V and Queen Mary. Griffiths Crossing was chosen as the location at which the royal party would alight. The station facilities were considered inadequate for the royal party, so temporary timber structures were erected which included an extension to the down platform and a canopy. The Royal train stopped at Griffiths Crossing on 13th November 1911. After the event, the station reverted to its basic form.
The station closed in 1937 even though the line remained busy into the 1960s, but following the closure of Caernarfon and Afon Wen section in 1964, it went into decline. In the second half of 1966 the line through the station was singled, and the former down line lifted. On 1st July 1969 Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle, once again it was decided that a procession would take place and that Griffiths Crossing would be the ideal location for the royal party to alight the Royal train. As Griffiths Crossing had been demolished a temporary platform was built further west then the original station, where the bridge passed over into the Ferodo Factory.
Below is a video showing guests to the investiture arriving at Caernarfon Station, now Morrisons, and the royal train arriving at Griffiths Crossing with the then new Ferodo Factory in the background.
All services ended on the 4th January 1970. However on 23rd of May 1970 a fire on the Britannia Bridge isolated Holyhead from the railway network. Holyhead was at the time an important freightliner depot, so Caernarfon was pressed into use for freightliner services. Freightliner trains passed through Griffiths Crossing until 5th February 1972. The line then closed completely and was lifted.
The site of the station was lost under a road improvement scheme but the house nearby is the old Station Master’s House, and is the only evidence of a station once being here.
