Press Releases

The talks will take place every Tuesday from 10 May onwards in Welsh at 1pm followed by English at 2pm and are as follows:

Slate and the Sea by Dr David Jenkins, Senior Curator, Department of Industry, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, on 10 May. Dr Jenkins describes how the transportation of slate by sea impacted on the lives of the people involved.

Dinorwig Quarry's Engineering Workshops by Haydn Lewis, Chief Technician, Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis, on 17 May. Mr Lewis reveals some of the secrets and ingenuity of past generations of engineers along with the marvels of their machines.

The Steam Locomotives and their Drivers by Dr Dafydd Roberts, Keeper, Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis, on 24 May. Dr Roberts delves into the character and background of the men who drove the slate trains.

The Gardens of Fron Haul by Owain Tudur Jones, Documentations Officer, Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis, on 31 May. Mr Jones unveils the Museum's plans to replicate the gardens of the quarrymen's houses as they would have been used in 1861, 1901 and 1969.

Visitors wishing to take part are invited to gather outside the Slate Museum's Padarn Room on each occasion. The sessions conducted by Dr Jenkins and Dr Roberts will be in the Padarn Room's auditorium, which has seating for approximately 50 people. The audiences for the other two sessions will be asked to proceed from the meeting point to their respective locations at the Museum. The talks will last approximately 45 minutes each, followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers. There is no charge for participating.

The special talks have been organised to coincide with Museums and Galleries Month, an annual event to promote and increase awareness.

The Welsh Slate Museum is one of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales' six sites across Wales. The other sites are Big Pit: National Mining Museum of Wales, Blaenafon, National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff, Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, and the National Woollen Museum, Dre-fach Felindre. Opening in summer 2005 is the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, outlining the story of industry and innovation in Wales.

Entry to all sites is free of charge, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

For further information, please contact John Kendall, Welsh Slate Museum, on 01286 873707.

Notes to editors

1. The Welsh Slate Museum Llanberis lies on the border of the Snowdonia National Park, a heartland of unparalleled natural beauty with a spectacular rock face. The site - the former maintenance workshops of the now defunct Dinorwig Quarry Company - holds the key to a significant period of Wales' engineering past along with a wealth of social and cultural history. Once inside the striking walls of the Museum's buildings, visitors are offered an introductory 3D show, quarry craft demonstrations, mainland Britain's largest giant waterwheel, a row of quarrymen's houses illustrating the way quarrymen and their families lived through different eras and a comprehensive educational events' programme.