The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales - UNESCO

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The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales - UNESCO

The slate landscape around Snowdon massif is of huge cultural and historical importance. Slate dominates the geology of this area, and indeed throughout northwest Wales, from the high mountain peaks down to the coastal cliffs. During the British Industrial Revolution, large-scale mining projects began around Wales. Today, the impact it has had on the communities and landscapes are extensive. What may at first seem like a terrible eye-sore with the open cast mines, is more significant than you might think. The quarries and mines are linked to architectural and industrial sites of global importance. The slate industry led to historical settlements being formed, trade routes being established, and it helped develop infrastructure and skills that all grew from the hub of slate mining. UNESCO has designated six sites of significance. Some of the key sites in the northwest that might be visited are as follows: Penrhyn Slate Quarry and Bethesda, and the Ogwen valley to Port Penrhyn; Dinorwig Slate Quarry Mountain Landscape; Nantlle Valley Slate Quarry Landscape; Ffestiniog: its Slate Mines and Quarries, ‘city of slates’ and Railway to Porthmadog; Gorseddau and Prince of Wales Slate Quarries, Railways and Mill. Image Credits: Jack B on Unsplash