Museum which tells story of Welsh slate will have metal roof on new shop and visitor shelter

Dale Spridgeon, local democracy reporter

A museum which tells the story of how Welsh slate once roofed the world will see its new shop topped with metal and a visitor shelter with corrugated sheets.

Queries over why slate wasn’t used came as Cyngor Gwynedd councillors approved a plan of restoration at the National Slate Museum in Llanberis.

The museum is located at the heart of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales in a UNESCO World Heritage location. Proposals had been submitted by Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Cymru) and described internal and external alterations at the Grade I-listed Gilfach Ddu site.

In November, 2024, the museum announced a temporary closure to facilitate a major £21 million upgrade The full application included internal and external alterations, and was approved by the planning committee on Monday, March 3.

Dinorwig slate quarry

The historic site was formerly the 19th century workshops of the Dinorwig slate quarry and has some of Britain’s best-preserved Victorian industrial buildings.

The proposal described how the existing shop was a circular shape but the new building would be square on the same footprint.

“It will have GRC cladding, namely reinforced concrete panels, coloured red with a grey metal roof. The windows and doors would also be in metal. Opposite the shop it is proposed to erect a new canopy that would function as a shelter for visitors. It will be in a square shape with a roof of red corrugated sheeting and the sides would all be open.”

The plans also noted new buildings had been “designed carefully” in relation to the existing site. Speaking at the meeting councillors gave strong support for the restoration.Councillor Gareth Jones said he was “supportive” of the application, especially regarding building a café and accessible facilities, but he questioned why slate wasn’t used for the shop and visitor canopy roofs.

‘Vibrant environment’

He said: “The proposal creates a healthy and vibrant environment and improves the visitor experience, it will lead to more visitors coming to the site in the future. The restoration and alterations are essential and acceptable.”

I’m feeling slightly awkward, there is no roofing of local Welsh slate on the shop and shelter. “After all, the buildings world-wide were roofed by slate from here so I am wondering why they didn’t choose slate?”

Planning officer Keira Sweenie said “sometimes excessive use of slate made new buildings more difficult to read and it will be easier to interpret as a modern addition rather than a traditional building”.

Cllr Elfed Williams said he had talked with Cllr Gwilym Evans, both local ward representatives, and together they had agreed to have “no objection” to the plans. “Please, we ask that they should keep the character of the buildings as they have been in the past,” he said.

Cllr Edgar Owen proposed approval in line with the planning officer’s recommendations, seconded.