Porthmadog historian Martin Pritchard has appeared in the Cambrian News many times to promote his books on the town, but this time he’s kindly promoting the work of another.

The new book entitled Victorian Slate, Product and manufacturers in Gwynedd and Beyond by Pred Hughes of Porthmadog was launched on 22 October.

“Pred is a local historian with a deep interest in slate quarrying and mining in North Wales having worked in the slate industry in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dyffryn Nantlle for 22 years,” Martin explains.

“In 2003 he joined the staff at the National Slate Museum of Wales. He semi-retired in 2016 and he is now a freelancing guide with the Go Below Adventure Tours.

“He has appeared on television shows on S4C and most recently Will Millard’s Hidden Wales on BBC Cymru where he showed Will around the Cwmorthin Quarry in Tanygrisiau.

“This is the second book written by Pred Hughes, his first was called Foundries Amidst the Slate Industry of North West Wales printed in 2015. This book again shows Pred’s passion for the history of Victorian industry in the area.

“It will broadly explain to the reader what other manufacturing industries were involved with making other products from slate rather than just for roofing.”

The book, an A4 paperback, has many interesting photos which illustrate the onset of the industrial revolution, describing what happened during the 19th century in Caernarfonshire and Meirionnydd as the slate industry rapidly grew to roof the ever growing towns and villages of the UK, as well as the far reaches of the British Empire; roofing slates were the dominant product of the mines and quarries of Caernarfonshire and Meirionnydd.

The book offers a broad background about other slate products, to their manufacturers – who were mostly independent from the quarries and mines – and to their premises.

“These products were supplied to the growing communities and industries which had come to demand all the conveniences of Victorian life,” said Martin.

Much of these premises were referred to in Welsh as iard llechi, `slate yard’, but what they produced was very varied.

Many were `writing` slate works, others slate enamellers and monumental slate works.

The output from these yards include slate tanks/vats for home, farms and industries, door and window sills, lavatories/urinals, flooring, shelving, snooker, billiard and bagatelle beds, memorial head stones, kerbs and tombs, church altars, mantle clocks and fire surrounds.

Slate roof ridges and wings were another product, some of them patented, suggesting a strong competition amongst the producers.

“The book is a must for anyone interested in slate mining and quarrying in North West and Mid Wales,” said Martin.

It is available at local bookshops in Porthmadog and the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway shop in Porthmadog for £14. It can also be ordered from the author for an extra £3 p&p at [email protected]