Llechwedd Slate Miners Tramway – taking a ride back in time

John W Greaves versus King Solomon Llechwedd slate caverns are products of the Welsh slate rush during the reigns of George IV and William IV when fortunes were lost easier than they were found by digging holes in Snowdonia.  John W Greaves spent £25,000 in mining costs before striking the Merioneth Old Vein with which he proceeded to roof every continent with his slate tiles. Tourists travelling on the Slate Miners Tramway His resultant underground quarries are Europe’s unique rival to the spectacular King Solomon’s mines beneath Jerusalem, and they may now be explored from the comfort of a modern carriage on one of the earliest...

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Cowboy Builder Nightmares - laying tiles

What could be worse than starting your tiling job, and you make an enormous schoolboy error, as you realise that you have glued some of the tiles on back to front? Actually, it could be worse than that, you could have paid a skilled professional builder or tiler to do the job, and upon inspection of the completed job, it becomes evident that you may have employed a cowboy builder.  We would ALWAYS advise on going with a tiler or builder that is part of a trade association, such as The Federation of Master Builders, The Guild of Master Craftsmen or the Tile Association as a good start, but you cant beat a personal recommendation.   Ask...

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8 top uses for Slate in your home

Slate is an extremely versatile building material, Slate benefits from a number of practical properties making it an exceptional building material. It retains its natural colour, even in UV light and is impermeable to water. It is also extremely durable, unaffected by normal extremes of temperature and highly resistant to chemicals. It is also an attractive and popular decorative stone, here are the 8 top uses for natural Slate in the home. A slate quarry face, its hard to imagine it as a tile in your kitchen. 1. Slate Floor Tiles - Interior Slate tiles are durable, non-slip and very hard wearing. This makes them a great...

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