Industrial History Online
Porthmadog Maritime Museum
Key Words :- warehouse
Address :- Porthmadog, Gwynedd
Grid Ref :- SH 56976 38441
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.92428 , Long -4.128973
Local Authority :- Gwynedd Council
Pre 1974 County :- Caernarfonshire
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 4426,
Description and History of Site:-
Single-storey former warehouse of rubble stone and slate roof, built in the mid 19th century by Matthews & Son, owners of Rhiwbryfdir Slate Company, on what later became known as Oakleys Wharf.
It is the earliest and only surviving shed of a type that was built extensively at Porthmadog harbour in the late 19th century.
It is shown on the 1871 Tremadog estate plan, 1885 harbour survey and 1888 Ordnance Survey.
Now Porthmadog Maritime Museum which has a large collection of artefacts depicting the seafaring activities of the area - the development of the port, the shipbuilding, the ships, and the lives of the seafarers.
Information panel:
Porthmadog Maritime Museum is housed in the only surviving warehouse at what was once a bustling slate harbour. Over 300 ships, many crewed by local men, carried slate from here to markets around the world.
At its height in 1873, the Porthmadog Harbour shipped 120,000 tonnes of slate.
The first wharves were built here in 1825. Quarries across the area were connected to the port at Porthmadog by rail. The Ffestiniog Railway opened in 1836 and took loaded slate wagons to Porthmadog. The wagons were moved using gravity and horses, and later gravity and locomotives.
The slate loaders were highly skilled. The air was once filled with the 'toc-toc-toc' sound of their wooden hammers as they packed the slates on to the ships. They used a measurement of three fingers called a mwrw to count the slates.
By the 1870s, the Cambrian Railways had started to replace the port as the main means of slate transport. The 'S.S. Florence Cooke' carried the last load of slate in 1948.
Further Reading and References:-
https://portmm.org/
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Grid Ref :- SH 56976 38441
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.92428 , Long -4.128973
Local Authority :- Gwynedd Council
Pre 1974 County :- Caernarfonshire
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 4426,
Single-storey former warehouse of rubble stone and slate roof, built in the mid 19th century by Matthews & Son, owners of Rhiwbryfdir Slate Company, on what later became known as Oakleys Wharf.
It is the earliest and only surviving shed of a type that was built extensively at Porthmadog harbour in the late 19th century.
It is shown on the 1871 Tremadog estate plan, 1885 harbour survey and 1888 Ordnance Survey.
Now Porthmadog Maritime Museum which has a large collection of artefacts depicting the seafaring activities of the area - the development of the port, the shipbuilding, the ships, and the lives of the seafarers.
Information panel:
Porthmadog Maritime Museum is housed in the only surviving warehouse at what was once a bustling slate harbour. Over 300 ships, many crewed by local men, carried slate from here to markets around the world.
At its height in 1873, the Porthmadog Harbour shipped 120,000 tonnes of slate.
The first wharves were built here in 1825. Quarries across the area were connected to the port at Porthmadog by rail. The Ffestiniog Railway opened in 1836 and took loaded slate wagons to Porthmadog. The wagons were moved using gravity and horses, and later gravity and locomotives.
The slate loaders were highly skilled. The air was once filled with the 'toc-toc-toc' sound of their wooden hammers as they packed the slates on to the ships. They used a measurement of three fingers called a mwrw to count the slates.
By the 1870s, the Cambrian Railways had started to replace the port as the main means of slate transport. The 'S.S. Florence Cooke' carried the last load of slate in 1948.
https://portmm.org/
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Contributor :- Robert Mason - 2 September 2026
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Robert Mason