Penrhyn quarry
The Penrhyn Quarry ( Penrhyn Slate Quarry ) is a large quarry near Bethesda in Wales . The quarry is considered the largest slate quarry in the world and, like Dinorwic quarry, was of great economic importance to the region during the heyday of the slate industry in Wales .
The quarry was established by Richard Pennant in 1770 . However, it is likely that slate was mined here on a small scale before. The slate shingles produced were transported to the coastal town of Port Penrhyn on its own narrow-gauge railway , the Penrhyn Quarry Railway , which was established in 1798 . The railway is considered one of the oldest in the world.
The Penrhyn Quarry also has an important place in the history of the British labor movement. Long workers' strikes took place here twice, trying to achieve better wages and safer working conditions. The first strike, which began in 1896, lasted eleven months. The second strike began on November 22, 1900 and lasted three years.
Slate is still quarried in the Penrhyn quarry and processed into roof shingles. However, the mining no longer reaches the extent it had during the 19th century.
In 2007 Welsh Slate Limited bought the quarry from Alfred McAlpine Slate Limited for £ 31 million.
Individual evidence
- ^ The Slate Industry of North and Mid Wales
- ↑ Slate quarries are sold for £ 31m. BBC News , December 24, 2007, accessed January 5, 2017 .
- ↑ Welsh Slate (About Us)
Coordinates: 53 ° 10 ′ 0 ″ N , 4 ° 4 ′ 0 ″ W.