Valentia Slate Quarry was first opened commercially in 1816 by the Knight of Kerry to
supply slates and slabs, mainly for roofing and flooring. It also supplied gravestones to all the local cemeteries and because of the excellent quality of the slate (non-porous with no impurities), these memorials can still be seen today with inscriptions that are as perfect as the day they were erected as far back as the 1820’s. In 1825, a pier was constructed under the direction of Alexander Nimmo at The Foot in Valentia Harbour to allow the export of Valentia Slate.
When the great municipal buildings were being erected in London in the mid-19th century, Valentia Slate was used extensively. These included the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral and many of the Underground Railway Stations such as Waterloo, Charing Cross, Liverpool St. and Black Friars. It was also used in the Paris Opera House…