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 overshot water-wheel still turns; slate splitters demonstrate their craft in the foundry sheds; the quarrymen's cottages are furnished as three different decades from the industry's history. This is Experience #44 of the Snowdonia 100, and one of the finest free museums in Wales.
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, still operable |
| Admission | Free — one of the best free attractions in Wales |
The Craft of Slate Splitting
The splitting of slate into thin, even sheets for roofing is a skilled craft that took years to master. A skilled quarryman could split a block of slate into twenty or more individual sheets, each barely a centimetre thick, using a broad-bladed chisel and a mallet. The knowledge of where the natural cleavage planes lay — learned through years of handling the rock — was the core skill of the trade. The demonstrations at the National Slate Museum preserve a craft that would otherwise be lost entirely.
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 3,000 men. The quarry closed in 1969. The site was excavated for the Dinorwig Pumped Storage Power Station (Electric Mountain) in the 1970s and 80s, hollowing out the mountain behind the museum for the largest man-made cavern in Europe.
Experience #44 of 100 — Heritage category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com