HOME OF THE SUPER-QUARRY

VILLAGERS in Ballachulish were updated about the exciting film project as another local historical project came to fruition.

The results of an ambitious three-year effort to capture memories of the historic slate quarry were put on display last week.

The huge quarry still dominates the landscape of the village but has not been active since the ’60s.

Quarrying for slate first began there in 1694 and production was at its peak in 1875, when 587 men were employed and around 26 million slates were sent all around the world.

The people behind the history project gathered stories from older people about their family members who worked in the quarry.

The results have been collated into an app which can be downloaded at ballachulish.org.uk.

The quarry also contains the last remaining inclined plan “slate arch” left in Scotland, which was the main focus of the project.

For generations, the slate buttresses echoed to the sound of high explosives as well as the hammers and chisels of the men – and, occasionally, women – who hand-shaped the roof and flooring slates.

In the late 19th Century, Ballachulish was one of Scotland’s two “superquarries” – the other one being at Easdale – and the slates it produced contributed to the character of many of Scotland’s buildings.

The project organisers met at the village hall before walking to the slate arch and then the quarry, where they exploded a 100-balloon salute to the quarriers to launch the new interpretation with a bang.