The Felin Fawr slate workshops now hosts a range of different businesses but hasn't forgotten its roots

Sign up to our free newsletter for the top North Wales stories sent straight to your e-mail

Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda was once the largest slate quarry in the world. It processed slate to be shipped around the world, with 3,000 men working to make this happen.

But to process that much slate, workshops were needed nearby. So in order to meet this demand the Felin Fawr slate workshops were built at the foot of the quarry, just a short distance away from the main quarrying sites.

Rock was delivered along a narrow gauge railway, with these wagons would be full of unprocessed stone ready to be sawn and split. The site consisted of several buildings, most of which remain today.

Originally, a slab mill was opened on the site in 1803 which in turn gave the site its name as Felin Fawr - which translates as Large Mill. The machinery used was powered by water, predominantly from the river Galedffrwd, which flows from the mountains south west of the site - two waterwheels used still survive to this day.

READ MORE: Danger-to-life warning extended to 11 beaches in North Wales after ‘foolhardy’ teens pulled from sea

Getting a view of the site is best done from above, on the bridge crossing Lon Las Ogwen, a cycle path that passes through the site heading towards and round the quarry. From here you can look down on the site, to the North side you'll see the former foundry building which used molten metal to make components for the quarry and railway.

Beyond the foundry were the two former slab mills, responsible for the cutting and shaping of the slate brought in, they stand as two long parallel buildings. While to the right of the bridge you'll notice the steam locomotive shed, the largest building on the site, sitting at a sharp angle from the track below you, the smaller locomotives could manage the turn due to rails only being 60cm apart.

You can check out more of the site in our gallery below:

It wasn't until 1876 that De Winton of Caernarfon supplied the first steam locomotive to the quarry to replace horse and carts, this meant goods were able to be brought to the facilities at Felin Fawr much quicker, increasing overall productivity. Though the downside of the these locomotives was a change in the working hours for those at the quarry, as instead of finishing at 9pm to collect wages they now worked until 10pm and collected them from a train which stopped at several locations.

The complex had a challenging time during the Great Strike from 1900 to 1903. The strike, which was the longest in British history, sorely divided local communities, but even before that the complex was beginning to have issues. In October 1896 it came under attack from 60 men throwing stones at the workers. For many working at the site was seen as far easier than the work in the quarry, which did not leave many of the staff here popular with other quarry workers.

The site and attached railways closed in 1962, you can see the remains of bits of the track around the site now. While much of the route it used has been turned into the Lon Las Ogwen cycle path, the route is easily followed for those looking to travel the route these trains once did.

As for the complex it has now found a new life, with many smaller business coming in and taking over various buildings and refitting them for modern purposes, with garages, workshops and book repairs now happening on the site. You can freely wander around as well, doing so will allow you to find the old railway tracks, workshops and various other remains of the original buildings, you will also be able to identify the others despite some cosmetic changes and safety repairs.

Are you interested in the local slate history, let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Fortunately because of this the site remains secure and well kept today, allowing those interested in exploring Wales' rich slate history the option to freely take in this complex in their own time. It's clear as well for many of the businesses now operating there that they haven't forgotten their roots, with markets and titbits of history still scattered around the site.

Mystery as 'tens' of dead seagulls spotted littered along A55 stretch

'Dangerous' beach where girl nearly drowned 'needs safety measures like risk-free Abersoch'

Thousands of drivers clocked speeding on main road amid calls for 30mph limit

Pub in popular harbour town run by famous Purple Moose brewery will not disappoint

Man who went out to celebrate end of alcohol court order ended up kicking and biting police