Podlediad Penrhyn

Episode 1: Early History

Welcome to Podlediad Penrhyn, an exciting five-part podcast exploring the history of an influential estate in north Wales, the Penrhyn estate.
Penrhyn Castle is a country house in Gwynedd, now a major visitor attraction managed by the National Trust, which previously sat at the heart of an extensive landed estate stretching across parts of in northwest Wales.
Your host, PhD researcher Kayla Jones, will take you through various aspects of the estate’s story, from its medieval history, connections with slavery and role in the global slate industry to considerations of Penrhyn today, its place in north Wales, and its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
In this first episode, we'll dive into Penrhyn's medieval history, where we'll learn about the Griffith family, who ruled north Wales in the days of Owain Glyndŵr. We'll learn about famous bards who preformed Welsh praise poetry, and hear about castle raids, an infamous pirate and more!  
For show notes, archival material and videos, check out the podcast website Podlediad Penrhyn.

Episode 2: Slavery

Explore Penrhyn and Wales' role in transatlantic slavery in episode two of Podlediad Penrhyn.
In this eye-opening episode, host Kayla Jones explores Penrhyn’s connection with the slave trade in the 18th-19th century. Recorded during the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020, this episode highlights one of many heritage sites across the UK that have been looking a bit closer into their colonial connections, Penrhyn Castle, which is a National Trust property in northwest Wales. 
Join Kayla as she learns about the Jamaican sugar plantations owned by the Pennant family, previous owners of the Penrhyn estate. Richard Pennant and his second cousin, George Hay Dawkins, were absentee landlords in Jamaica, managing their plantations from afar, using the profits to fund enterprises in Wales, most notably Penrhyn Quarry, which was once the largest slate quarry in the world. 
For show notes, archival material, images, videos and more, check out the website Podlediad Penrhyn.

Episode 3: Life at Penrhyn

Exploring life at Penrhyn Castle...
Welcome to the third episode of Podlediad Penrhyn. In this episode, Kayla explores life at Penrhyn, from the building of the castle, servant life, the operation of the estate and the lives of the families who lived in and worked the tenant farms.
Penrhyn Castle is a Neo-Norman country house located near Bangor in northwest Wales. Penrhyn Castle was built for Lord Penrhyn in 1822-37, on the site of earlier gentry houses, and served as a powerbase for the Pennant family until the 1950s.
For archival material, images, videos and more, check out the podcast website Podlediad Penrhyn.

Episode 4: Slate

The Penrhyn estate and the slate industry...
In episode four, Kayla explores one of the most crucial and at times contested parts of Penrhyn Estate’s history: slate. Penrhyn Quarry, once the largest slate quarry in the world, employed thousands of quarrymen and brought large employment to the area.
For many, slate quarrying was not just a job, it was a way of life, and a highly skilled trade that was honed over a lifetime. Though quarrying was a dangerous occupation, it was also one that created community and camaraderie amongst quarrying families. 
For archival material, images, videos and more, check out the podcast website Podlediad Penrhyn.

Episode 5: Penrhyn’s Impact Today

Penrhyn's impact today...
In the fifth and final episode, we’ll look at the impact of Penrhyn Castle as a heritage site today, from Penrhyn’s transformation project, to other exhibits about the estate’s communities, books, plays and art installations that are being created, and the continuing conflict of the heritage site and local perception.
This episode will also look at other heritage sites associated with the estate, the new uses of the quarry today and the continuation of slate work in North Wales and around the world. Podlediad Penrhyn will wrap up by talking about the future impact of the estate with the Unesco World Heritage bid and the impact of the estate’s history for future generations.
For archival material, images, videos and more visit the podcast website Podlediad Penrhyn.