The slate landscape of north-west Wales, said to have “roofed the 19th century world” as its quarries exported slate across the globe, has become the UK’s newest Unesco world heritage site.
The landscape surrounding Snowdonia in the county of Gwynedd was awarded the prestigious global status – already enjoyed by sites such as the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Grand Canyon in the US – by the World Heritage Committee meeting in China.
It becomes the UK’s 32nd world heritage site after Liverpool was stripped of its status recently over developments, including the planned new Everton FC stadium, that were said to have resulted in a “serious deterioration” of the historic waterfront site, a decision described by the city’s mayor as “incomprehensible”.
The Welsh slate landscape was announced by the UK government as its nomination for Unesco status in 2018, with Boris Johnson describing it as “an area of remarkable uniqueness and breathtaking beauty”.
The area served international demand for Welsh slate between 1780 and 1940, with Gwynedd also…
