Siân Gwenllian MS Working for the people of Arfon

Local politician reacts to UNESCO’s decision to designate the post-industrial quarry areas of Gwynedd as a World Heritage Site

The announcement has been made today that UNESCO has officially designated the slate areas of Gwynedd as a World Heritage Site.

Siân Gwenllian MS, who represents large swathes of Gwynedd’s post-quarrying areas as part of the Arfonconstituency claims that local people will be proud of UNESCO’s announcement.

The Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Arfon, which is also Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for the Welsh language has reacted to the announcement.

“I know local people, many of them direct descendants, as am I, of families that depended on the quarrying industry, will feel pride about this announcement. 

“It is fitting that the area receives international recognition, as the area’s history is of international importance.

“We know very well that Arfon’s slate quarries were once an industrial epicentre of the world.

“Slates from Gwynedd were shipped across the world.

“Little did the local communities of Gwynedd see of the immense wealth generated, and I will be thinking of those generations today.

“As we reflect on the rich history of the area, we won’t just be thinking about the quarrymen, like my great grandfather, but also of their families.

“The strong women who without their contribution we wouldn’t be celebrating today. Our “resilient grandmothers” as the local poet Gwyn Thomas once said.”

The area will join existing World Heritage Sites in Wales; the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen, and the Castles of King Edward in Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and Conwy.