Caernarfon slate quay

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Caernarfon slate quay

Over the first three decades of the 19th century, new wharves were constructed along the Seiont to cater for the growing output of slate and other minerals, mostly to be transported to customers by ships. For enlargement caernarfon_quay_ships_and_castleof the quay in 1817, a large volume of earth was removed from the bank which once led down to the shore from Y Maes (the square outside the castle). High retaining walls took the bank’s place.

The arrival of the Nantlle Railway in 1826 boosted slate exports from Caernarfon. Other heavy industries sprouted in the vicinity. The slate quay’s construction ended the picturesque view of the castle alongside the water which had been enjoyed by the earliest tourists.

The photos shown here depict the castle with sailing ships at the slate quay in the 1890s.

Local trade moved to the new Victoria Dock around 1874 but the slate trade continued here. Five boys, aged seven to 10, boarded a ship named Breeze here in 1916 and lit a fire in the cabin – so they could make tea! They doused the fire as the ship’s owner, John Humphreys, returned. Bread and tea were missing, and the boys were later fined.

caernarfon_slate_quay_and_castle

The slate quay’s development was managed by Caernarfon Harbour Trust. The trust was formed in 1793 when an Act of Parliament authorised improvement and enlargement of Caernarfon harbour, then located chiefly to the west and north of the walled town. The Act allowed new moorings to be provided at the mouth of the river Seiont, south of the castle.

The trust has occupied its purpose-built office building at the slate quay since 1840.

Today the slate quay is mainly a car park, conveniently situated beneath the castle for visitors. Old railway tracks embedded in the surface provide a clue to the bustle of the past.

Postcode: LL55 2PB    View Location Map

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