Mines in Gwynedd

Gwynedd's mining heritage splits between two very different industries: the Dolgellau gold belt, whose mines — including Clogau — have supplied the gold for every British royal wedding ring since 1923, and the vast slate quarries of Snowdonia, among them Dinorwig, once the second-largest slate quarry in the world. Copper was worked here too, at sites like Sygun near Beddgelert, possibly since Roman times. Slate from Gwynedd's quarries roofed buildings across the world, and the region's industrial slate landscape was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.