Llechwedd Slate Caverns

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The Llechwedd Slate Caverns seen from above. Llechwedd is on the left, the slate tips on the right are from the Oakeley Quarry
A demonstration of slate splitting at Llechwedd

Llechwedd Slate Caverns is a visitor attraction in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales. It details of the history of slate quarrying in the town and specifically the Llechwedd quarry in which it is located. It has an interpretive centre which shows how slate was extracted and processed, a reconstructed village which shows how miners lived, and two railways allow visitors to travel into abandoned sections of the quarry.

History

The Miners' Tramway, opened in 1972 under the name "Quarry Tours",[1] is a narrow gauge railway travelling 800 metres underground. The trains are hauled by battery-electric locomotives and travel through tunnels and into a series of quarry chambers. The Deep Mine, opened in 1979, is accessed by a steep passenger funicular, with a gradient of 1:1.8 or 30°. At the foot of the funicular visitors can walk through the tunnels and chambers. The Deep Mine is the steepest passenger railway in the UK. [citation needed]

In 1992 the Deep Mine displays were upgraded using audio visual technology supplied by Eurodisney[1]

Awards

Llechwedd Slate Caverns have been listed as one of the top ten places to visit by North Wales Tourism, the tourism board for this area. It is also claimed to be "winner of every major tourism award".[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Isherwood, Graham (July 2009). Chronology of Llechwedd Quarry. 
  2. ↑ Jones, Ivor Wynne. "Llechweddd Slate Caverns". Slate Wales UK. Tourism Wales UK. Retrieved 25 August 2009. 

See also

External links

Coordinates: 53°00′17″N 3°56′25″W / 53.0046°N 3.9403°W / 53.0046; -3.9403

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