Scheduled MonumentsWalesCwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features
Industrial · Quarry

Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features

Conwy, Wales
Cadw SAM CN425
Period
Industrial
Site type
Quarry
Broad class
Industrial
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cwmorthin slate quarry is a substantial industrial complex located in Conwy, North Wales, representing the extensive slate extraction industry that characterised the region during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The site comprises the quarry workings themselves, associated railway infrastructure, and various ancillary structures that collectively formed part of the slate production and transport network that served both domestic and export markets. The quarry's development reflects the industrial expansion of the Welsh slate industry during the Victorian period, when mechanised extraction and rail transport transformed the economics of slate working. The surviving physical remains, including quarry faces, spoil heaps, railway trackbeds, and structural foundations, provide evidence of the technological and organisational systems employed in large-scale slate extraction during this period of intensive industrial activity.

Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN425. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features?

Cwmorthin slate quarry is a substantial industrial complex located in Conwy, North Wales, representing the extensive slate extraction industry that characterised the region during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN425.

What period does Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features date from?

Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features dates from the industrial period, and is classified as a quarry. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.

Who is responsible for protecting Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features?

Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CN425.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu (7.9 km), Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement at Dolbelydr (8.8 km), Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement South East of Yr Onen (9.1 km).

Aubrey Research

Generate a full report for this location

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.

Research the area around Cwmorthin slate quarry, mine, railway and ancillary features