Slate Development

Day 1

We had an introduction from Chloe and we also got lanyards that show we are on our placement here. We went to the quarry hospital to help out, making a video on how to get to the quarry so that more people are interested in coming to the area. Even though we didn't do that much today, it was a good ease into how the work environment is. We learnt that museums are very complicated behind the scenes and have a lot of jobs within them that make it up. It was very quiet and there weren't that many visitors in the quarry hospital so we are hoping the video makes people want to go. We realised there are a majority of English people going and visiting these places which is good that they want to learn about the history but surprisingly Welsh people themselves do not want to go and learn their own history. At the end of the day we looked at the beautiful view that the quarry hospital looks over and got to know each other, since we didn't know each other before today. 

Day 2

On day 2 we started off with an admin task where we learned more about using excel to maintain information and numbers. We used excel to type up the stats from old visits from e.e 1967. We learned that details like this can be useful in terms of patterns and what needs to be improved about the event or task. We also helped Lowri create an activity for young children which was very helpful to me as I learned that there is many jobs within one company that you would never expect for example we later helped Mari who works in the education department with Lowri to go down to storage, she works part time which was something I didn't know you could do when working as an adult but it was interesting and useful to know that there's always a job or opportunity that can suite everyone which would be great for when just starting of your career. We later had an opportunity to have a meeting with Amgueddfa Cymru about the importance of using both languages equally, which was very interesting because we learned that it really is helpful to be bilingual as it provides more job opportunities. 

Day 3

This was one of the most exciting days of the week, actually being able to go into the slate museum while closed. But at the start of the day we helped Lois by making a plan on how to get children and parents aware of the nature trail Amgueddfa Cymru has to offer. We brainstormed together until our early lunch break. Then we went down to the construction site to get protective gear so everyone was safe during the tour. We also had to take other safety precautions like wearing trousers and walking shoes. The tour was really fun and we both helped keep everyone together but it was extremely hot that day so it was really hard to focus. After the tour Chloe treated us both to ice cream, we both got cookie dough, and it was very lovely and helped with the heat. After we walked back up to the quarry and filmed a tiktok on the nature trail before having to leave. We learnt about preservation and how important and how much work goes into preserving museums and showed the careful work they have to do to get everything right to tell the story of the museum. 

Day 4

On day four we went to Castell Penrhyn. We had a walk around the castle however later learned more about the history of the castle and the history of the Penrhyn family which I we learned is a big part of having a museum or a historical land because although people love going to castell Penrhyn, most people see it as walking around a beautiful house instead of looking at the good and bad parts of the castles history, for instance the slavery in the 18th-19th century. We think its very important to the visitors to know what really went on instead of only seeing it as a house. We then watched a slate demo and then helped people complete a survey about the experience and their past visits of the museum in Llanberis which was very good to see how useful surveys can we when running a company because it allows the company to see the visitors opinions and thoughts about what they offer, it also helps to know what the company need to promote or do better. 

Day 5

Our last day here at Amgueddfa Cymru, we started the day by summarizing how the week has been and what we have done and learnt. We wrote this blog and will after create a blog on the importance of the slate history in Penrhyn castle. Afterwards we will make a few promotional social media videos before leaving early. This work experience has shown us a lot and helped us realise the importance and how museums work behind the scenes and given us skills like talking to new people, teamwork and helping others. And we weren't really shocked how museums work and is exactly how we pictured working at a museum was like. 

 Conservation is at the heart of the National Slate Museum redevelopment project and our conservation team are already hard at work assessing and working on the collections to make sure they look their best and keep them safe so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come  when the Museum reopens.  

Jennifer Griffiths is Senior Conservator of Industry Collections and is one of several team members working on the National Slate Museum collection. here she tells us a bit more about her work. 

“I’ve started my part of the conservation work with treatment of a pay trolley." said Jennifer.

" This wooden cabinet contains 49 small pay tins made from tin-plate. The cabinet and all of drawers within the cabinet were extremely dirty with surface and ingrained dirt and the tins, all very heavily corroded. The cabinet can be seen here before and after conservation." 

"So far, the conservation of the cabinet and 7 of the tins has taken a total of 45 days' work."

"Each pay tin takes 2 days to complete and so far, 7 tins have been completed."

"Just 42 tins to go!"

Over the next few months we'll be taking a closer look at all the other conservation work taking place including cleaning our wooden pattern collection, paper and artworks, furniture and clothing! 

The National Slate Museum redvelopment project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Cyngor Gwynedd as part of the Llewyrch o'r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders. We are extremely grateful to all our funders for their support.      

As an artist, my work explores the traces of social history held within domestic artefacts and local landscapes. I’m drawn to details that reflect nurture and resourcefulness, especially those shaped by women’s everyday experiences, which are often missing from official histories. This project was a great opportunity to engage with participants, hear their stories, and explore how everyday objects carry memories and histories.

Our sessions in Morfa ward, Ysbyty Alltwen 'day room' began with conversations about domestic life in the past, sparked by handling artefacts from the museum, such as crockery, utensils, and textiles.

We created our own pieces inspired by domestic life using air-dry clay, incorporating textures that reflect both industrial and household labour. Letter stamps allowed us to imprint memories from our discussions into the clay, adding a personal layer to collective stories. Colour was added with ink and graphite, or tea and coffee, buffed between layers to give an aged effect—a process that echoed domestic chores.

Rag rugs, part of the Slate Museum’s collection and a symbol of domestic resourcefulness, inspired us to create our own collaborative sample. Traditionally made by prodding strips of rag through sacking cloth, we adapted the method for simplicity: looping rags around pipe cleaners, then linking and stitching them into a smaller rug shape.

The embroidery hoop pieces are inspired by a quarryman’s blanket from c.1900, made from patched pieces of grey cloth trimmed with red, to protect its owner from the harsh conditions of the barracks. Our stitched pieces combine the resourcefulness of stitching and mending with symbols from the carved hearths seen in some slate quarrying communities.

The postcard-sized pieces continue the theme, featuring symbols from the hearths, with text drawn from conversations and memories.

This project has been a wonderful way to share personal stories and creativity, bringing people together through collective making —thanks to everyone involved!

"It was nice to come together as a group and learn new skills" - a patient on Morfa ward, Alltwen hospital

Contact details: rachelevanscelf@gmail.com   
Instagram: rachelevans_artist

This activity was a part of the National Slate Museum redevelopment project, which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Gwynedd Council as part of the Llewyrch o’r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders.