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Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda
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 long and 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 It has since been superseded in size by slate quarries in China, Spain and the USA.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. History The first reference to slate extraction at Penrhyn is from 1570, when the quarry is mentioned in a Welsh poem. The quarry was developed in the 1770s by Richard Pennant, later Baron Penrhyn. Much of his early working was for local use only as no large scale transport infrastructure was developed until Pennant's involvement. From then on, slates from the quarry were transported to the sea at Port Penrhyn on the narrow gauge Penrhyn Quarry Railway built in 1798, one of the earliest railway lines. In the 19th century the Penrhyn Quarry, along with the Dinorwic quarry, domi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and Ceredigion over the River Dyfi. The scenic Llŷn Peninsula and most of Snowdonia National Park are in Gwynedd. Bangor is the home of Bangor University. As a local government area, it is the second largest in Wales in terms of land area and also one of the most sparsely populated. A majority of the population is Welsh-speaking. ''Gwynedd'' also refers to being one of the preserved counties of Wales, covering the two local government areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey. Named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd, both culturally and historically, ''Gwynedd'' can also be used for most of North Wales, such as the area that was policed by the Gwynedd Constabulary. The current area is , with a population of 121,874 as measured in the 2011 Census. Et ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slate Industry In Wales
The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in northwest Wales, including the Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda, the Dinorwic Quarry near Llanberis, the Nantlle Valley quarries, and Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the slate was mined rather than quarried. Penrhyn and Dinorwig were the two largest slate quarries in the world, and the Oakeley mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog was the largest slate mine in the world. Slate is mainly used for roofing, but is also produced as thicker slab for a variety of uses including flooring, worktops and headstones.Lindsay p. 133 Up to the end of the 18th century, slate was extracted on a small scale by groups of quarrymen who paid a royalty to the landlord, carted slate to the ports, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zip World
Zip World is a Welsh outdoor adventure activity company based in Llanrwst, Wales, United Kingdom. The company operates four sites in Wales, primarily focused on zip lines and outdoor adventure activity courses. History Zip World was created by Sean Taylor, an ex-Royal Marines commando from the Conwy Valley, based on his military experiences using zip lines and sky-diving. Taylor focused on converting heritage industrial sites into adventure playgrounds, making North Wales into an important adventure activity centre in Europe. Taylor launched 'Treetop Adventures' in 2007 (now Zip World Fforest). "Zip World" was launched in 2013 with 8 staff, with the opening of Zip World Velocity at Penrhyn quarry in March. In 2014, Zip World Titan and Bounce Below at Llechwedd Slate Caverns opened, followed by Zip World Caverns at the same location in 2015. Zip World Fforest, a redevelopment of Treetop Adventures, opened in 2016. In August 2017, it became sponsors of Eirias Stadium in Colw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breedon Group
Breedon Group plc (formerly Ennstone plc) is an AIM-listed British construction materials company headquartered at Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire, England. In 2016 Breedon became the UK's largest independent construction materials firm following its acquisition of Hope Construction Materials and in 2018 extended its operations into Ireland with the acquisition of Lagan Group. Breedon has nearly 3000 employees and operates from around 300 sites. The business turned over £862m in the year to December 2018, with a market capitalisation of more than £1bn. Breedon Group produces cement, construction aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete, bitumen and other construction materials. It also has a sizeable contract surfacing and highway maintenance business. The company was founded in 2008 by Peter Tom, chairman of the Leicester Tigers rugby club, and Simon Vivian. The current chairman is Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Lakshmi Mittal, the billionaire steel magnate who became a Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, Staffordshire to the west, and Derbyshire to the north-west. The border with most of Warwickshire is Watling Street, the modern A5 road (Great Britain), A5 road. Leicestershire takes its name from the city of Leicester located at its centre and unitary authority, administered separately from the rest of the county. The ceremonial county – the non-metropolitan county plus the city of Leicester – has a total population of just over 1 million (2016 estimate), more than half of which lives in the Leicester Urban Area. History Leicestershire was recorded in the Domesday Book in four wapentakes: Guthlaxton, Framland, Goscote, and Gartree (hundred), Gartree. These later became hundred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,000 at the peak development of the slate industry, but fell with the decline in demand for slate. The population of the community, including the nearby village Llan Ffestiniog, was 4,875 in the 2011 census: the fourth most populous in Gwynedd after Bangor, Caernarfon and Llandeiniolen. The population not including Llan is now only about 4,000. Etymology and pronunciation The meaning of Blaenau Ffestiniog is "uplands of Ffestiniog". The Welsh word ' is the plural of ' "upland, remote region". Ffestiniog here is probably "territory of Ffestin" (Ffestin being a personal name) or could possibly mean "defensive place". The English pronunciation of Blaenau Ffestiniog suggested by the ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names'' is , but the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred McAlpine
Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in Hooton, Cheshire. It was a major road builder, and constructed over 10% of Britain's motorways, including the M6 Toll (as part of the CAMBBA consortium). It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Carillion in 2008. History Alfred McAlpine was one of the sons of 'Concrete' Bob McAlpine and he ran the operations of Sir Robert McAlpine in the north west of England. In 1935, following the death of Sir Robert and his eldest son, Alfred ran the north west independently, although the legal separation was not completed until 1940, when Sir Alfred McAlpine & Son was formed. Under a non-compete agreement with its former parent company, Sir Alfred McAlpine confined itself to civil engineering and to the north west of England. After the death of its founder, his son Jimmie McAlpine became chairman. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1958 under the name Marchwiel Holdings, ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transport And General Workers' Union
The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate itself from the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union – with 900,000 members (and was once the largest trade union in the world). It was founded in 1922 and Ernest Bevin served as its first general secretary. In 2007, it merged with Amicus to form Unite the Union. History At the time of its creation in 1922, the TGWU was the largest and most ambitious amalgamation brought about within trade unionism. Its structure combined regional organisation, based on Districts and Areas, with committee organisation by occupation, based on six broad Trade Groups. Trade groups were not closely linked to trades, but were elected by activists. Officials of the union were grouped by region, and could be asked to serve each or any trade group. Docks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pantdreiniog Quarry
The Pantdreiniog quarry (also known as the Pant Dreiniog quarry) was a slate quarry within the town of Bethesda in North Wales. It was worked between about 1825 and 1923. It played a significant part in the Penrhyn Great Strike, Britain's longest industrial dispute. History Early history The early history of the quarry is obscure, but it appears to have started around 1825, and was certainly working in 1845, when quarryman John Hughes of Maentwrog fell to his death into the pit, which was then deep. In 1860, owned by William Owen, the Pantdreiniog Slate Company produced 3,000 tons of slate, dropping to 1,372 tons produced by 30 men in 1864. During the 1860s, the quarry expanded and took over the adjacent Coetmor Quarry. Sometime in the late 1860s the quarry closed. In 1872, the quarry was re-opened by the Bangor and Pant-Dreiniog Slate Co. (Ltd.) and took on 50 workers. That year they produced 1,500 tons of finished slate. In 1884, it was recorded as worked by the Pant Dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by Direct election, popular vote, or a council member elected by voters. Etymology The title is derived from the Old English title of ''ealdorman'', literally meaning "elder man", and was used by the chief nobles presiding over shires. Similar titles exist in some Germanic countries, such as the Sweden, Swedish language ', the Danish language, Danish, Low German, Low German language ', and West Frisia, West Frisian language ', the Netherlands, Dutch language ', the (non-Germanic) Finland, Finnish language ' (a borrowing from the Germanic Swedes next door), and the German language, High German ', which all mean "elder man" or "wise man". Usage by country Australia Many local government ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William John Parry
William John Parry (28 March 1842 – 1927) was a Welsh businessman, politician and author. Parry was a leading voice in a range of activities and causes, and was the first general secretary of the North Wales Quarrymen's Union. Born in Bethesda to John and Elizabeth, Parry was a religious man who took a keen interest in the plight of the slate and stone quarry workers local to his home town. Parry took a prominent part in the creation of the North Wales Quarrymen's Union in 1874, and as well as taking the role as general secretary, later became the union's president. In 1879 he visited slate mines in the United States on the request of his union. In 1889 Parry became a member of the first Caernarfonshire County Council, and its chairman in 1892–1893. In 1896, he led the purchase of the Pantdreiniog quarry The Pantdreiniog quarry (also known as the Pant Dreiniog quarry) was a slate quarry within the town of Bethesda in North Wales. It was worked between about 1825 and 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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