Welsh Slate^®
Beauty, Strength & Versatility

Welsh Slate is regarded as the finest quality slate found in the world. The deposits here are unusually pure and have properties which make them extremely long lasting.

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Welsh Slate is universally accepted as the best quality slate in the world

The Welsh Slate group consists of 3 quarries: Penrhyn, Ffestiniog and Cwt-y-Bugail. Welsh Slate is the largest slate producer in the UK, employs over 200 people and exports its high-end slates to quality slate jobs all over the world.

Its is the unique geology of Welsh Slate which sets it apart from other quarries in a class of its own.

The slate deposits in Penrhyn were originally laid down in the pre-Cambrian era - some 600 million years ago. As such, they are some 200 million years older from most other slates and have been 'baked and cooked' in the earth for this extra time. As a result they are a much stronger and harder slate and will last centuries. The sediments which formed the slate are also extremely pure. There are no potential damaging pyrites or other elements found in these slates, that may be found in slates from other parts of the world.

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Famous around the world for its beauty, strength and versatility

Penrhyn 'Bangor Blue'^®

A beautiful heather blue or purple roofing slate from North Wales

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Ffestiniog

Smooth Riven Texture

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Cwt-y-Bugail

Dark Textured Welsh Slate

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Penrhyn Quarry, Wales

The Penrhyn Slate Quarry, Bethesda, North Wales

The Penrhyn quarry in north Wales been producing slates for centuries, and is one of the largest slate quarries in the world.

The quarry was commercially opened by Douglas Pennant in 1784 but, prior to that, had been operating as a cottage industry with local people extracting and utilizing slate from the quarry for centuries.

Penrhyn slate is the only true unfading purple slate available anywhere in the world.

The quarry is located at the town of Bethesda in north Wales, which lies a few kilometres from the town in Bangor.

Penrhyn reached its peak in the later half of the 19th century when it was the roofing material of choice to slate many of the new buildings which sprung up during the industrial revolution.

In the old days, the slates were transported down to the port in Bangor and that is why they are commonly referred to as 'Bangor Blues' or 'Blue Bangors'. From Bangor, they were shipped to ports, not only all over Britain and Ireland, but all over the world.

When the first European settlers landed in Australia from Britain in the late 1700s and early 1800s, crates of Penrhyn slates were used as ballast in the ships. To this day, Australia's first colonial buildings were roofed with Welsh Penrhyn slate, and many of these roofs exist to this day.

History of Welsh Slate^®

Journey through the Welsh Slate® timeline

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Introducing the unparalleled selection of premium natural roofing slates: boasting the widest range of high-quality options sourced from esteemed quarries worldwide.

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