Blog by Marged Pendrell

The inspiration for this Cwrlyd Llechen came originally from seeing the ornate slate roofs of Normandy. I was  aware of the ornate slate roofs of North Wales, but had not seen roofs on this scale (whole villages) and intricacy.

Being on holiday with my family (which included my son in law Kaz, a heritage slate roofer working in Blaenau Ffestiniog), meant that we spent a lot of time studying these roofs.

The intricate patterns of the overlapping slates and the way they were moulded to the overall roof shapes, made them look more like soft, carefully laid covers or patchwork quilts. There was a similarity in the repeated patterns that is inherent to both techniques.

Slate roofs with their origins in the quarries have always been associated with men whereas the quilt which has always had a domestic history is a skill always associated with women. Could these two skills be brought together?