Dinorwig Quarry

Dinorwic quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in Wales. At its height at the turn of the century, it was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, after the neighbouring Penrhyn quarry near Bethesda.

Dinorwic quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in Wales. At its height at the turn of the century, it was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, after the neighbouring Penrhyn quarry near Bethesda.

A breathtaking sight is the herd of wild Welsh mountain goats that live on the lofty peaks of the Dinorwig slate quarry. I came across twenty of them while strolling through the misty glades near Anglesey Barracks. Some have enormous, two-foot-long, curving horns.

Anglesey Barracks


These cottages were built in the 1870s as housing for quarrymen who lived too far away to return home each night. There are two rows of 11 cottages built using granite blocks. These groups of houses were known as barracks. This one is called Dre Newydd or the Anglesey Barracks, because many Dinorwig quarrymen travelled from Anglesey. However, not all of the men who lived here were from Anglesey.