Published

This week at its meeting hosted in Fuzhou China, the World Heritage Committee approved the inscription of the Slate Landscape of northwest Wales on the World Heritage List bringing the number of World Heritage Sites in Wales to four.

The Slate Landscape of northwest Wales joins the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape and Pontcysllte Aqueduct and Canal.

The Slate Landscape World Heritage Site celebrates the contribution made by the quarry communities of Gwynedd to the industrial transformation of society.  

At its heyday during the 19th century slate from the quarries of north Wales was carried around the world and can be found covering the roofs of buildings on nearly every continent.  It can be truly said that “Wales roofed the world”!

Led by Gwynedd Council, the inscription is the culmination of over 15 years of hard work by partners including Cadw to record, safeguard and recognise the living legacy of the slate landscape of Gwynedd. 

The new World Heritage Site is a serial property in six parts including spectacular quarry landscapes such as Penrhyn, Dinorwig, the Nantlle Valley and Ffestiniog.  It also includes the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Penrhyn Castle and the famous Ffestiniog and Talyllyn Railways, built to transport the slate from quarry to markets around the world and both later transformed through the dedication of volunteers into heritage railways. 

Full details of the new World Heritage Site can be viewed on its dedicated website www.llechi.cymru