Cambrian-age Welsh slate, which is produced at Welsh Slate Ltd's Penrhyn
quarry in North Wales, has become the first slate in the world to be designated
a Global Heritage Stone Resource (GHSR).
Its designation by the
International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), which represents the
national geological societies of 121 countries, recognises its importance to
the architectural heritage of the many countries in which it has been used in
the past and continues to be used today.
It easily met the
prestigious GHSR criteria of having a cultural history encompassing a
significant period, been utilised in significant works, and widely used in
numerous countries.
Cambrian Welsh Slate
has been quarried in Wales for almost 2,000 years (its first use being recorded
in Roman times), has been utilised on major heritage projects, and been used
throughout the world, particularly Australia, New Zealand, America, the West
Indies, Europe and even Hawaii.
It was proposed for
GHSR two years ago by the Welsh Stone Forum supported by the Stone Roofing
Association (SRA), Gwynedd County Council, the Snowdonia National Park
Authority and Welsh Slate (Ltd) at the same time as the Welsh slate industry is
being proposed as a World Heritage Site.
Designation was
awarded by the international Heritage Stone Task Group (HSTG) of the IUGS which
was formed to safeguard natural stone heritage by establishing, approving and
maintaining the new international geological designation - the GHSR and
associated Global Heritage Stone Province (GHSP).
The Cambrian slate
belt in Gwynedd extends over 14 kilometres and was historically quarried in
three main areas although it is currently only extracted at Welsh Slate's
Penrhyn quarry in Bethesda where it is produced for roofing, architectural
(cladding, flooring, paving and walling) and a variety of crushed slate
products.
Natural slate expert
Terry Hughes, former technical manager with Welsh Slate and chairman of the
SRA, said: "We were a supporter of the GHSR concept from its inception. It
has been a long haul writing the proposal at the same time as the designation
scheme was being developed. We are now delighted that the importance of
quarrying and the continued production of Welsh Slate especially, has been
recognised. All too often the public forget that almost everything they use
which isn't a plant probably came out of the ground."
The IUGS explained:
"Natural stone rarely excites major interest despite the fact it has been
used for construction and other purposes for thousands of years and is part of
human tradition. Yet natural stone is also the world's most sustainable mineral
resource because it requires less energy to utilise, produces no toxic
by-products, and provides the earth's most durable construction material. So
natural stone should create more than passing curiosity."
Cambrian Welsh Slate
has been used on Buckingham Palace, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and the
British Library in the UK; The Royal House, Copenhagen, Hotel de Ville, Paris
and Dublin Castle in Europe; the Shaker Museum and Boston airport in America,
Christchurch Arts Centre in New Zealand, and Government House [Perth, pictured]
and Sydney Supreme Court in Australia.
Welsh Slate's
commercial director Michael Hallé said: "This is international recognition
of the importance of the slate produced from the Cambrian stone in Penrhyn and
is important for heritage buildings all around the world."
GHSR designation seeks
international recognition of natural stone resources that have achieved
widespread utilisation in human culture. It aims to promote greater prominence
for natural stone as used in artistic and architectural masterpieces and
heritage building as well as routine historic stone applications.
Designation
will also enhance recognition of natural stone among geologists, engineers,
architects, heritage professionals, stone industry managers and other groups
that work with stone. It will also offer a mechanism to formalise the
characteristics of natural stone material for professional purposes and assist
international co-operation into the research and utilisation of natural stone.
