Penrhyn quarry

Penrhyn

Penrhyn Slate Quarry, in 1852
Location
Penrhyn Location in Gwynedd
Location	near Bethesda
County	Gwynedd (formerly Caernarfonshire)
Country	Wales
Coordinates	53°10′01″N 4°04′01″W / 53.167°N 4.067°W / 53.167; -4.067 SH 61840 65347
Production
Products	Slate
Type	Quarry
Greatest depth	1,200 feet (370 metres)
History
Opened	pre-1570
Owner
Company	Welsh Slate Ltd.
Website	www.welshslate.com
Year of acquisition	2007
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv
Reference	1633-001
Inscription	2021 (44th Session)

The Penrhyn quarry is a slate quarry located near Bethesda, North Wales. At the end of the nineteenth century it was the world's largest slate quarry; the main pit is nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) long and 1,200 feet (370 metres) deep, and it was worked by nearly 3,000 quarrymen. It has since been superseded in size by slate quarries in China, Spain and the USA. Penrhyn is still Britain's largest slate quarry but its workforce is now nearer 200.