National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Dinorwic Quarry
Centuries of formidable labour and engineering could not halt the slate industry's decline as evidenced here by the once mighty Dinorwic.
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Overview
On a cold, wet day, Len Vaughan Williams – an electricity board employee and later deputy head of Bangor's Ysgol Cae Top primary school – took his camera to Dinorwic Quarry, anxious to capture some footage for posterity (e.g. blasting, transportation, dressing and splitting) as the writing was on the wall - closure was effected in 1969. A handful of men can be seen at work, their number as nothing to the 3,000 that would have been employed during the quarry's heyday.
After closure in 1969 the quarry buildings became the National Slate Museum (part of the National Museum Wales) and the quarry itself houses a pumped storage power station.
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