Half Term Adventures

Local environmental artist Stacey Cohen joins Llechwedd Slate Caverns this half term to lead some fun childrens’ activities using slate. Stacey – who has worked everywhere including Australia and Uruguay and is a musician, naturalist and artist – has spent time at Llechwedd over the last couple of weeks and is looking forward to working with children here in Blaenau.

With its operational quarry and world famous tours Llechwedd offers a unique experience for local children to experience a living part of their own heritage.

Acitivies will include:

• -          Making slate mountain art using crushed up slate and paint to create a picture of the landscape
• -          Painting a slate coaster with a unique design
• -          Watching one of the quarrymen from Llechwedd splitting slate in the traditional manner

Stacey will be at the Llechwedd Slate Caverns on Tuesday 25^th and Wednesday 26^th October between 10.00am and 5.00pm.

The activities are free to anyone who has purchased a ticket for one of the tours or £2.00 on their own to cover the cost of the slate coasters.

Llechwedd - Prince Valiant

Another film that Llechwedd has been used as a set for is Prince Valiant, it was made in 1954. The underground lake at Llechwedd was the section of the caverns that featured in this film. It is a colour film and was made using Cinemascope, which is described in the trailer as a 'modern miracle'.

Outline of the plot:

Young Prince Valiant, son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes to help his father reclaim his throne from the pagan usurper Sligon and restore the Christian faith to their homeland. On his journey he stumbles on the mysterious Black Knight plotting with the Viking pretender to overthrow Arthur. Barely escaping with his life, Valiant encounters Sir Gawaine, a friend of his father's who tutors the young Viking in the skills needed to be a knight. Valiant and Gawaine's pupil/mentor relationship is complicated by their romantic involvement with Princess Aleta and her sister Ilene, daughters of a British nobleman. If Valiant is to restore his father's throne and prevent the coup d'etat against Arthur, he must uncover the true identity of the Black Knight.

The Trailer:

Llechwedd - The Black Cauldron

In a previous post I mentioned that Llechwedd Slate Caverns had been used for the horror film The Keep. On the other side of the movie spectrum Llechwedd has been used as a set for the animated Disney classic 'The Black Cauldron (1985). At the time of release it was the most expensive animated film to be made. It cost $25 million to produce.


Outline of the plot:
A young boy and a bunch of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.


The Trailer

Llechwedd - The Keep

Many people are completely unaware that Llechwedd Slate Caverns has been used as a movie set for many films. One of these films is 'The Keep'. This film was released in 1983 and is marketed as an action, drama, and horror movie, it includes stars such as Ian Mckellen and Scott Glenn.

Outline of the plot:

Nazis guard a citadel that harbours a dangerous force that starts wreaking havoc and death upon them, forcing an uneasy alliance with a Jewish professional who can stop it.

The Trailer

Splitting Slate on the Ffestiniog Railway

Over the Easter weekend, there were Llechwedd representatives present on Blaenau Ffestiniog station showing off  their skill at the traditional art of slate splitting.

Next time you look up at your Llechwedd made slate roof (if you're lucky enough to have one) remember that every individual slate, has been born from just chisel and hammer. I'm sure after watching the following video you will appreciate each roofing slate as more than just a rock but as a piece of art. Despite the difficulty of the process in 1862 the founder of Llechwedd John Greaves won a medal for a slate 10ft long 1ft wide and a minuscule 1/16 of an inch thick!

Take a look at the video below!

Llechwedd Slate celebrates Welsh Highland Railway opening and Ffestiniog Railway's 175th anniversary

On Wednesday  the 20th April 2011, it was the official opening of the merged Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog Railway. It was also the 175th anniversary of the Ffestiniog Railway. In those days the Railway was not burdened with ardent railway enthusiasts and thousands of tourists, but groaning with a heavy load of fresh slate excavated from mines like Llechwedd. The slate would storm down the mountainside propelled by gravity. Then once unloaded the empty wagons would be hauled back up to Blaenau Ffestiniog by horses.

Considering this history it seems only fitting that the industry that gave birth to the railway stands by it on its special day. Llechwedd Slate Caverns provided the slate that was created to celebrate this anniversary. Pete Waterman was the man who had the honour of unveiling this slate.