Wales Slate World Heritage Site Designation

The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site Designation (Wales Slate)

Project Background

The story of Wales Slate is an age-old one. This post-industrial landscape has a special place in the hearts of residents. The Slate Landscape of North West Wales tells the story of the evolution of a quiet, agricultural region to an area where there was no escape from the slate industry. Here is where quarries, towns and villages appeared, and road and rail were carved through Snowdonia to the ports.

Gwynedd Council lead on the effort to secure UNESCO World Heritage Site status for The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, by working with a range of partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

The primary objective of securing the designation was to recognise the importance of the area’s slate industry and communities and their role in the world in order to stimulate economic growth and social regeneration in Northwest Wales.

The designation includes six key areas that have been chosen to demonstrate outstanding universal value:

Penrhyn Slate Quarry and Bethesda, and the Ogwen Valley to Port Penrhyn
Dinorwig Slate Quarry Mountain Landscape
Nantlle Valley Slate Quarry Landscape
Gorseddau and Prince of Wales Slate Quarries, Railways and Mill
Ffestiniog: its Slate Mines and Quarries, ‘city of slates’ and Railway to Porthmadog
Bryneglwys Slate Quarry, Abergynolwyn Village and the Talyllyn Railway

The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales has become the UK’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, having been granted the accolade today, at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.

It is the 4th World Heritage Site in Wales, following the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd.

More information

For more information, e-mail llechi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru or visit the llechi.cymru website.

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