Slate from the Cambrian succession of North Walesudis a well-known source of building products from theudUnited Kingdom and is here advocated as a suitableud“Global Heritage Stone Resource”. Its first recorded useudwas in the Roman period in Wales, and subsequently fromudthe sixteenth century throughout the British Isles. Duringudthe 16th and 17th centuries several small companiesudworked the slate belt from Bethesda to the Nantlle valleyudbut in the mid-18th these were gradually taken over orudamalgamated and three large operations came touddominate the industry: Penrhyn, Dinorwic, and the MoeludTryfan to Dorothea group of quarries. From the lateudeighteenth century production expanded rapidlyudsupplying markets worldwide especially to northernudEurope and the British colonies. Slate has been used inudall its forms but most notably as roofing slates in theudconstruction of buildings at all levels in society and forudbuildings of the highest historical and architecturaludimportance. Modernisation of the industry has enabledudCambrian Welsh Slate to continue to be quarried todayudin an environmentally sensitive manner by WelshudSlate Ltd.
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