I was brought up in Pentrefelin near Cricieth, the youngest of six children.
I started my career as a boat carpenter in Porthmadog, and spent three years at college in Falmouth, Cornwall completing my apprenticeship. After a period working as a carpenter, I worked in the construction of the Dinorwig Power Station in the 1970s, before starting my career within the slate industry at the Oakeley quarry in Stiniog.
When I was a young lad, I visited various quarries with my father and my uncle T G Williams who became the owner of the Oakeley quarry, and this was when my interest in everythingslate, especially the history of the industry, intensified.
After eight years at the Oakeley as a rocker and lighter, I had the privilege of being Manager of Pen yr Orsedd quarry in Dyffryn Nantlle for ten years, before returning to Oakeley with a new company for four years.
In 2003 I started work at the National Slate Museum, Llanberis and was able to expand my interest in the slate world; I was there for twelve years. For many years, I have been a member of the Plas Tan y Bwlch Forum and the Society for Industrial Archaeology.
I am now partially retired, guiding underground visitors with Go Below Underground Adventures at Rhiwbach and Cwmorthin quarry. I am a writer on aspects of the history of the slate industry, with my second volume being launched in Autumn 2020 'Victorian Slate, Products and Manufacturers in Gwynedd and Beyond' (published by Carreg Gwalch).
www.go-below.co.uk