A Slate Miners Cottage one of the many derelict old houses that litter the mountains above Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog town is set in an elevated natural bowl, between the Manod and Moelwyn Mountains on the southern fringes of Snowdonia. Slate brought wealth to Snowdonia in the 19th century and Blaenau Ffestiniog was the centre of the industry The scale of operations was vast and even today the grey slate waste tips that surround Blaenau Ffestiniog have prevented it from being officially included in the Snowdonia National Park. The smaller village of Ffestiniog is nearby. The town is at the centre of a network of slate quarry and mine workings, waste tips and associated buildings, all linked by a transport system of inclines and railways. The whole landscape developed in about a hundred years and today the sites are largely derelict. The quarries have included Oakley, Diphwys, Llechwedd, Maenofferen, Rhiwbach and Rhosydd. The first quarry to be worked in the area was Diphwys which was established in 1765, and later bought up by William Turner and the Cassons. English capital was largely responsible for the development of the industry, and increasing demand for roofing slates as a result of the Industrial Revolution, both played a major part in developing the industry. By 1873, Blaenau Ffestiniog was described as the 'City of Slates'.
Size: 6487px × 4680px
Location: Blaenau Ffestiniog Wales UK
Photo credit: © Kevin Clark / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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