The National Slate Museum is located in Llanberis, Gwynedd, at the foot of what was one of the largest slate quarries in the world – Dinorwig Quarry. The museum is housed in what were the original engineering workshops, built in 1870. The quarry closed in 1969, before reopening as a museum in 1972. It welcomes around 145,000 visitors a year.
The museum tells the story of the slate industry in Wales. Visitors can see slate being split and dressed by our skilled craftspeople, all of whom are former quarry workers who learned their craft at the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry. Even today, you still need a human hand to work the more difficult rock.
Visitors can watch a blacksmith working at the original forge, and we have the largest functioning waterwheel in Britain, which once powered all the machinery in the workshops. The quarry workers’ houses are also hugely popular. These were moved to the site to take visitors on a historical journey through the different periods when people lived in them.
Following the exciting announcement that the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we’re looking forward to redeveloping aspects of the museum to extend its potential and enhance the visitor experience.
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