We're back in Llanberis as this little village has much more to offer than just the wonderful
Snowden Mountain Railway. This time we'll explore the fascinating National Slate Museum to witness
the skill and strength it took to quarry the slate that roofed the world. Transporting us back into
the lives of quarrymen, uncovering their captivating stories of hardship,
working conditions and community. If you want to learn about one of the
most historically significant industries in Wales, then this is the place to come.
Llanberis lies in the beautiful Snowdonia National Park at the foot of Mount Snowdon now known by its
proper Welsh name Yr Wyddfa.
The National Slate Museum is based in the old 1870s workshops of Dinorwig Quarry,
one of the largest quarries in the world, at its peak employing up to 3,000 men.
As we begin our walk around the museum it feels very much like
the quarrymen have just set down their tools and left the buildings.
The site would have been a throng of activity with foundries, forges dust
and dirt and the sounds of machinery powered by the largest water wheel on mainland Britain.
Slate was created by volcanic ash, clay and mud forming shale that was then hardened to slate
under immense pressure and heat over millions of years. The slate beds run through a vast
area of Snowdonia and people have been quarrying here for almost 2,000 years. Examples of slate
can be found in a Roman Fort in Caernarfon and Edward I used it when building Conwy Castle.
In the early 18th-century Welsh slate quarrying remained a modest industry, however,
the Industrial Revolution ignited rapid change as wealthy landowners seized the opportunity.
Small towns became large cities needing slate for roofs on mills, factories and the worker's houses.
Dinnorwig Quarry opened in 1787, the early 19th century saw explosive growth in the quarries and
for the following 100 years, the slate industry dominated the Welsh economy. The scars of the
industrialisation of this area can still be seen on Elidir Mountain, in the shadow of the museum
opposite Mount Snowdon.
Welsh slate was regarded as the best in the world, durable and easy
to split. At its peak Wales produced more slate than the rest of the world put together.
A quarry crew was a team of specialists, two rock men, a splitter and a dresser. After the blast shattered
the rock face the rock men perched precariously on galleries sometimes 20 metres high,
pried massive loose slabs with crowbars. They sent the slabs tumbling down to the splitters below,
their only lifeline a rope tied to their leg. It was treacherous work, a constant dance with death.
The splitters hammered and chiselled the fallen rock into manageable pieces,
all the while exposed to the harsh elements.
At certain times of day, you can watch a dressing
demonstration taking place, sadly we missed it during our visit. Splitting and dressing was a
specialised job ensuring as much of the slate rock could be used, avoiding wastage at all costs as
that would affect their wages at the end of the month. The men had quotas to exceed to get paid.
Wagons were filled with the slate and then moved to the quarry table incline. You can
visit a restored and still working incline just outside the museum.
Built in 1870, this one was
used to bring the slate from the Vivian quarry. Several similar inclines would have connected to
this one further up the mountainside, creating a network to bring it down safely in stages.
The smaller slate wagons were pulled into the railway wagons at the top of the incline,
the weight and descent of the laden wagons hauled up the empty ones on an adjacent track.
A cable connected via a winding house at the top regulated the speed with a brake.
Once at the bottom of the quarry, the slate could be moved into the workshops for dressing making
roof tiles and other slate artefacts which were then ready to be taken to the port on the
Menai Strait 9 miles away across a mountainous terrain. In the early 1800s this was done by gravity and
horse-drawn tramways but with the advent of steam, narrow-gauge locomotives took over.
You can see one of the original locomotives named "Una" having
a full restoration at the moment in the loco shed.
This workshop would have been used for the rolling stock and locos
that revolutionised the moving of the slate from remote areas of North Wales
The workshops needed to support the running of the slate quarry and as we walk around
you'll see many kitted out for several tasks. This one is a sawmill. Sleepers,
quarry shaft supports and wooden building materials were all needed. Tree trunks
could be brought here to be cut to the correct size for the job.
The foundry produced a wide range of newly cast metal parts essential for the operation
of the quarry, everything from flywheels, railway tracks to window frames for the
workshops. Wooden moulds were made by on-site craftsmen to fabricate replacement parts or
create something completely new. Filled around with sand, once the moulds were
removed molten metal was poured into the shape using the crane creating a new part.
The quarry had a "smithy", a blacksmith. These skilled men would make chisels,
utensils and drill bits for the quarrymen. They would repair and sharpen equipment and
even be responsible for the shoeing of the horses. Demonstrations occur here during the
day so you can see what they would have been making and hear the stories of life in the quarry.
Working conditions were harsh and dangerous, typical of many quarries in the
19th and early 20th centuries. Quarryman worked outdoors in all weathers facing the elements,
long-term inhalation of the slate dust could cause serious lung diseases, many were sick or injured
and ended up in the Quarry Hospital seen here. The hospital was built in 1860 and was largely
maintained by the men's contributions to a sick club. It is possible to visit this small museum.
The workshops needed power to operate all the equipment and they used the force of gravity
and the endless supply of water running off the mountain to run the largest water
wheel in mainland Britain, which turned spinning shafts and cogs to run lathes, saws, hammers and drills.
Built in 1870 in Caernarfon and then transported to the quarry its design is known as an "overshot
water wheel" feeding water onto the top, filling buckets and using gravity to turn it. There are
140 buckets but the wheel is so finely balanced it needs only one bucket to fill with water to rotate.
A cast iron pipe in the valley guides the water and as the intake point is higher than the
wheel no pumping is required. In 1925 a Pelton wheel turbine was added to provide extra power.
This is the caban, a place where all the quarrymen would come to have their lunch
and discuss the issues of the day. Whilst most of the time the men worked together
harmoniously to achieve the monthly targets and get paid, issues did occur so a chairman would
mediate and try and resolve disagreements. To be elected caban chair was a great honour the
successful member would have been a good public speaker and well respected in the community.
This row of quarryman's houses was brought here brick by brick in 1999
from Blaenau Ffestiniog to save them from demolition and to share
an insight into the domestic lives of the workers over a 100-year span.
Cottage 4 is kept sparse and has a video explaining the move of the
buildings and a few details of what you'll see in the other cottages.
Cottage 3 shows life in 1861 when the Quarry first opened as the village was expanding fast.
Sorry, it's quite dark inside. Children would share rooms or beds with their parents upstairs,
a fire going all the time for cooking and heating. Noticed the cold slate floor.
Cottage 2 is laid out in 1901, during the 3-year strike in Bethesda. The quarryman's food tin is
hanging up because he wasn't in work and there's a sign in the window saying "no traitor in here".
In November 1900 due to a disagreement about pay, 2,800 men walked out at the Penryn Quarry,
money was very scarce for striking families and food was in short supply. About 500 men
returned to work and became known to the rest of the community as "traitors" or "black legs".
Cottage 1 is 1969, The Second World War affected many industries and the need for
slate was in decline as cheaper alternatives took over. Never again would the North Wales
slate industry return to its highs at the turn of the 20th century. Nevertheless,
electricity has reached the terrace, there is a television lighting and a record player.
The home had a bath and a toilet inside the house for the first time.
There is a carpet on the floor and comfy furniture. By this period the quarryman
may well have been out of work and his wife was likely in employment to provide
the income. At Dinorwig in August 1969 just 300 men were employed and leaving for their
annual two week holiday were blissfully unaware that without warning the quarry was closing and
they would never be coming back. The closure had a devastating impact on the local community
creating widespread financial hardship for the quarrymen and their families. Businesses that
relied on the quarry for income such as suppliers, transport companies and shops
also suffered leading to further job losses and a ripple effect throughout the local community.
There is no denying it was a terrible time in this and many areas of Wales.
The Llanberis community pulled together, they were fortunate that the Snowdon Mountain Railway
had opened in 1897, so a steady stream of holidaymakers were already coming to the
area to take the scenic ride up the mountain providing some tourists. In the early 1970s,
the building of the power station provided work during construction which also continued since
opening, and a group of rail enthusiasts had the idea to open the original quarry line as
a tourist railway creating the Llanberis Lake Railway, further increasing tourism.
The main station is just outside the museum and uses 5 miles of line of what was the Padarn Railway,
formerly used to transport the slate to the coast at Port Dinorwig also called as Y Felinheli.
Its route runs along the shores of Lake Padarn to Pen Lyn and is a 60-minute round trip.
On sunny days you can get great views of Mount Snowdon.
This shot was taken 2 days later
when we were passing by and the weather was just that bit better!
In the distance are the ruins
of Dolbadarn Castle which you can walk around whilst visiting Llanberis.
It was built by Llewellyn the Great in the late 12th century to defend the strategic route
inland from Caernarfon to the Upper Conwy Valley in the ancient Kingdom of Gwynedd.
Three locomotives or "Quarry Hunslets" as they were called,
were rescued during the sale of the assets following the quarry closure. This green loco,
number 3 was built in 1920 and the penultimate Hunslet to be delivered to the quarry. They were
all built by the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds. This one worked at the harbour Port
Dinorwig ferrying the slate before being moved to Llanberis in 1946. It was the easiest loco
to repair for the opening of the line in 1971 and ran the services all that year.
The carriages were specifically built for the line and take visitors on a
delightful tour into the past. We won't be travelling on it as we had already
been on the Snowdon Mountain Railway that morning, you can see that adventure and the
history of the Railway in last week's video. The link will be at the end.
Padarn Country Park in which the railway and the Slate Museum reside is a great
place for paddle boarding, kayaking or just a scenic walk around its shoreline,
of course not today! We had pretty bad weather so it took just a brief walk along one of the trails.
Whilst we are walking this flat slate trail, many people come to climb Mount Snowdon by
hiking. In fact, 600,000 people achieve it every year. The Llanberis Path is said to
be the easiest route to the top, yet still a challenging undertaking. A round trip on
average takes 7 hours to complete, so you need a whole day just for that activity.
Llanberis has been a wonderful place to visit for the day, even if the weather was
not on our side. The walking trails, two heritage narrow gauge railways,
a castle and the wonderful Welsh quarry history make it a varied and very enjoyable day out.
Let's look ahead to next time in Wales as we continue our tour.
Who knew that one of the best beach bars
in the world was here in North Wales! This time we're going on a beautiful drive through
Snowdonia National Park to the West Coast to take a 20-minute hike to this secluded but amazing Pub,
voted one of the best in the world. The scenery is stunning and it's a great way to spend a relaxed
afternoon by the sea. You really won't want to miss this one if you visit North Wales,
so join us again next time to find out more. Thanks for watching the MemorySeekers.