The derelict slate mines around Blaenau Ffestiniog in north Wales were awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2021. The industry’s heyday was the 1890s when the Welsh slate industry employed approximately 17,000 workers, producing almost 500,000 tonnes of slate a year, around a third of all roofing slate used in the world in the late 19th century. Only 10% of slate was ever of good enough quality and the surrounding mountains now have slate waste and the ruined remains of machinery, workshops and shelters have changed the landscape for square miles.

Pictures October 2021.