The National Slate Museum occupies the Victorian workshop complex of the Dinorwig Quarry, the engineering heart of one of the world’s great industrial enterprises, preserved almost intact. Admission is free. The great water-wheel still turns, slate splitters demonstrate their craft in the workshop sheds, and the quarrymen’s cottages are furnished to show three different periods of the industry’s history. This is Experience #44 of the Snowdonia 100, and one of the finest free museums in Wales.
Before you go: the museum closed in November 2024 for a major redevelopment, supported by a £12m National Lottery Heritage Fund award, and was due to reopen in 2026. Check the museum’s redevelopment page for the reopening date before you travel.
What to See
| Water-wheel | 15.4m diameter, one of the largest remaining in mainland Britain |
| Slate splitting | Demonstrations in the original workshop sheds |
| Quarrymen’s cottages | Three furnished cottages representing 1861, 1901 and 1969 |
| Foundry | Original Victorian casting equipment |
| Admission | Free |
The Craft of Slate Splitting
Splitting slate into thin, even sheets for roofing is a skilled craft that took years to master. A skilled quarryman could split a block into many individual sheets, each only a few millimetres thick, using a broad-bladed chisel and a mallet. Knowing where the natural cleavage planes lay, learned through years of handling the rock, was the core skill of the trade. The demonstrations at the museum keep that craft alive.
The Context
Dinorwig Quarry, which the museum commemorates, was one of the largest slate quarries in the world at its peak in the late 19th century, employing around 3,000 men. The quarry closed in 1969. In the 1970s and 80s the mountain behind it was hollowed out for the Dinorwig pumped storage power station (Electric Mountain), whose main cavern is one of the largest man-made caverns in Europe.
Plan Your Visit
The museum is at Gilfach Ddu in Padarn Country Park, on the shore of Llyn Padarn a short walk from Llanberis village. The Llanberis Lake Railway starts right beside it and uses part of the old workshops, so the two pair naturally. Sherpa’r Wyddfa buses serve Llanberis from Caernarfon, Bangor and Betws-y-Coed, and there are car parks in the village and the country park. Once it reopens, allow two hours or more, and time your visit for a splitting demonstration.
While the museum is closed, Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales) has taken slate displays out on the road through its “Museum on the Move” programme, with partner sites including the Quarry Hospital Museum in Llanberis and Penrhyn Castle near Bangor.
Good to Know
The workshops sit within the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and the quarry terraces above are part of the same story. The old buildings have uneven historic floors in places, so wear sensible shoes.
Nearby
Walk round the lake to Dolbadarn Castle (Experience #42), or get out on the water with Kayak Llyn Padarn (Experience #82). Our slate landscape guide explains how the industry shaped Eryri.
National Slate Museum FAQ
Is the National Slate Museum open?
It closed in November 2024 for redevelopment. Check Museum Wales for the current reopening date.
Is the National Slate Museum free?
Entry has been free, as at the other Museum Wales national museums; check whether anything changes on reopening.
Experience #44 of 100, Heritage category.