'Breathtaking' Welsh slate landscape be ranked with Great Wall of China as Unesco site
The area, which has been quarried for more than 1,800 years, has been nominated to join Unesco's sites of global importance.
Friday 24 January 2020 12:55, UK
The slate mining landscape of northwest Wales could soon be ranked alongside the Grand Canyon and Great Wall of China.
The area, which runs through the county of Gwynedd, has been nominated by the government to become a Unesco World Heritage site of global importance.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was a landscape of "remarkable uniqueness and breathtaking beauty" and was "already on the map, having sent its slate across Britain, Europe and even Australia".
Slate has been quarried in North Wales for more than 1,800 years.
The region became the world leader for the production and export of slate during the 18th century.
Demand surged during the industrial revolution as cities across the UK expanded.
By the 1890s, 485,000 tonnes of slate were being mined each year, and the industry employed 17,000 people.
Heritage minister Helen Whately, who has submitted a formal nomination to Unesco, said the Welsh slate mines continue to influence architecture around the world.
The application would "bring benefits not only to Gwynedd but the whole of North Wales by attracting visitors, boosting investment and creating jobs", she said.
If it is successful, the slate landscape will become the UK's 33rd Unesco World Heritage Site.
Others include Liverpool's maritime waterfront, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, Stonehenge and the Tower of London.