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Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia and Associated Structures is a post-medieval and modern slate quarry protected by Cadw under reference CN198. The site exploits the Lower Cambrian rocks that underlie the location, which comprise mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Early Cambrian period. These fine-grained sedimentary deposits, laid down over 500 million years ago, naturally split into thin slabs suitable for roofing and flooring, making the site geologically favourable for quarrying.
The quarry's design reflects the industrial extraction methods of the post-medieval and modern periods. The inclines—sloped structures built into the quarry landscape—facilitated the movement of slate from the working faces to processing areas and loading points. Such inclines were essential features of Welsh slate quarries, allowing gravity and animal or mechanical power to transport heavy stone efficiently across sloping terrain.
Walia, the associated settlement or works complex, would have served the quarry's operational needs, housing workers, storage facilities and perhaps processing sheds. The collective protection of the quarry, inclines and associated structures recognises the integrated industrial landscape that slate extraction created, where geological advantage, engineering innovation and human settlement combined to form a distinctive Welsh industrial heritage site.
Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia & associated structures is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN198. View the official record →
Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia and Associated Structures is a post-medieval and modern slate quarry protected by Cadw under reference CN198.
Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia & associated structures dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a quarry. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia & associated structures 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 CN198.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cwm Brwynog Deserted Rural Settlement (3.9 km), Ystrad Rural Settlement (5.4 km), Enclosed Hut Circle West of Llwyn Bedw (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia & associated structures's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Vivian Slate Quarry, Inclines, Walia & associated structures stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.