Please note: Reserved accommodation almost fully booked!!
All single rooms at the Conference Centre now fully-booked; only doubles/twins still available.
There may also be rooms at the nearby Oakeley Arms or other local accommodation – see below.

Crown copyright: RCAHMW

ICOMOS-UK is pleased to invite you to our Summer Meeting and AGM at the Snowdonia National Park Field Studies Centre, Plas Tan-y-Bwlch, Gwynedd, north-west Wales, organised in collaboration with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW).

This meeting will focus on the spectacular sites and forthcoming nomination of the Slate Industry of Northern Wales for World Heritage status. We will visit some of the vast quarries, mines and surviving settlements of what were the world’s largest slate quarries and discuss aspects of the management and conservation of such complex industrial sites and landscapes. We will include a trip on the historic Ffestiniog Railway which runs past Plas Tan-y-Bwlch, itself a former slate quarry owner’s mansion in magnificent mountainous surroundings.

Copyright: Ffestiniog Railway

On the third day delegates will be joined by members of the Pan-European Atlanterra Inter-reg Partnership from France, Portugal and Spain, who will give presentations on slate industries in other parts of Europe, to put the Welsh industry in international context, and lead a discussion of ‘valorisation’ (gaining heritage value from the industrial heritage) which is a particular interest of this international group.

Summer Meeting Programme

Monday 23rd July:

13.30 Meet at Conference Centre
Train trip on the historic steam-operated Ffestiniog Railway to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to visit the underground Llechwedd Slate Mines

19.00 Dinner at Conference Centre

20.30 After dinner lecture by Dr. David Gwyn, Govannon Consulting: Introduction to the Welsh Slate Industry and the proposed World Heritage nomination

Tuesday 24th July:

9.00-9.30 Spencer Smith, RCAHMW: Animating the Welsh Slate Industry

10.00-14.30 Site visit to Welsh National Slate Museum, part of Dinorwig & Vivian’s Quarries and associated settlements at Deiniolen (packed lunch provided)

14.30-15.00 Tea & Coffee

15.00-17.00 Workshop on management of Slate Industry Landscapes chaired by Dr David Gwyn with representatives of local institutions and organisations

18.00 Evening reception

19.00 Dinner at Conference Centre

Wednesday 25th July:

Presentations by Atlanterra delegates:

9.00-9.30 Dr. Enrique Diaz-Martinez, Instituto Geologico y Minero de España, Spain: The Slate Industry of Spain

9.30-10.00 Dr. João Matos, Laboratorio National de Energia e Geologia, Portugal: The Slate Industry of Portugal

10.00-10.30 Prof. Philippe Cayla, University of Nantes; Président Association L’Ardoise (Angevin Slate Industry), France:
The Slate Industry of France [In French with simultaneous translation]

10.30-11.00 Tea & Coffee

11.00-12.00 Panel Discussion on ‘Valorisation’ (gaining heritage value) of Mining Heritage

12.30-13.30 ICOMOS-UK AGM

13.30 Lunch at Conference Centre OR Optional trip to the slate port of Porthmadog with packed lunch on Ffestiniog Railway to view the historic railway works and the ‘Cob’ sea embankment

Minibuses to the main railway stations at Porthmadog (Cambrian Coast Line), Bangor (north Wales Coast Line) or back to Plas Tan-y-bwlch will be available
from 16.20 onwards.
Please note that the Programme might be subject to change for reasons beyond our control

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Accommodation

Please note that limited accommodation is available at the Conference Centre. This includes single and double rooms (some en-suite) and prices are from £45-£60 for singles and £65-£80 for doubles for B&B. These will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact the ICOMOS-UK office on 020 7566 0031 or admin@icomos-uk.org if you wish to book these rooms.
Members who wish to arrange their own accommodation may like to contact the Oakeley Arms near the entrance gate of the Conference Centre (http://www.oakeleyarms.co.uk) or contact the Snowdonia Tourist Information Centre (http://www.visitsnowdonia.info/)

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Conference Fees:

(The delegate fee includes lectures, 2 site visits, 2 lunches and 2 dinners)

ICOMOS-UK Members @ £140
ICOMOS-UK Young professional members@ £110
Non-members/Guests @ £195
Optional trip to Porthmadog (Wed 25th) @ £15
For more information and a booking form please contact:

Camilla Massara
Tel: 020 7566 0031
E-mail: camillamassara@icomos-uk.org

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This conference is organised in collaboration with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

The many International Scientific Committees (ISCs) of ICOMOS allow members from around the world to form networks of expertise in particular areas of cultural heritage. Members include internationally renowned specialists in their subjects. These ISCs form the backbone of ICOMOS international collaboration and exchange of ideas. ISCs  are open to experts and also to associates who are encouraged to join  to build up their knowledge in a given field. Both types of members from the UK are designated by the National Committee. These three lectures focus on just three out of the 28 ISCs that now are active.

1. Monday 27th February 2012
International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH)
Speaker: Stephen Hughes, TICCIH/ICOMOS expert member
TICCIH is the international organisation for industrial archaeology and the industrial heritage. TICCIH acts as adviser to ICOMOS on industrial archaeology matters and the remains of the industrial period. This first talk will look at TICCIH’s work in promoting the study, protection, conservation and interpretation of the remains of industrialisation around the world.

2. Thursday 29th March 2012
International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ISCEAH)
Speaker: John Hurd, President
ISCEAH has some 90 members representing about 50 countries from Europe, Asia, the Pacific region and the Americas. An ongoing central project for ISCEAH is the compilation and management of an online international Atlas of earth traditions around the world. Perhaps the most central function of ISCEAH is the organisation, together with other partners, of the triennial
TERRA Conference. In 2012 the 11th conference will be held in Lima, Peru, with a particular focus on risk mitigation. This second talk will include illustrations of examples of the extraordinary types of earth construction around the world.

3. Thursday 26th April 2012
International Polar Heritage Committee (IHPC)
Speaker: Michael Morrison, UK representative
The IHPC was set up in 1999 and its membership represents fourteen nations which have an interest in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. This third talk will look at the work of the IPHC in promoting international cooperation in the protection and conservation of non-indigenous heritage in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as exploring the breadth and diverse expertise of its membership, the challenge of conservation work in these extreme climates, and the very different nature of the political situation in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

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Admission fees:

ICOMOS-UK Members – £12 (£30 for all three)

Non-Members – £15 (£40 for all three)

Students – £8   (£20 for all three)

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For further information and a booking form please contact: camillamassara@icomos-uk.org

or the ICOMOS-UK office on:

Tel: 020 7566 0031
E-mail: admin@icomos-uk.org

We will be running a series of evening seminars on international heritage in February, March and April 2012, and will post further details here shortly.