About the Parish
Delabole village is situated about a mile from the North Coast of Cornwall. It is right in the heart of King Arthur Country, being close to Camelford, Tintagel, Boscastle and Port Isaac. There are churches, a convinence shop, toilets and a playing field in the village and some delightful local pubs and plenty of pleasant walks in the area.
Close by is one of the biggest holes in Europe, the Delabole Slate Quarry and its museum. Delabole Slate, probably the finest slate available, has been used as a building material for over 600 years, and has been quarried since the early 17th century. At the end of the 19th century approximately one thousand men and boys were employed in quarrying, splitting, dressing and shipping slate. The Old Delabole Slate Company was formed in 1841 when the five quarries that existed within the vicinity of the present pit formed themselves into a single controlled unit. It became the present limited liability company in 1898.
The quarry is 425 feet deep and
over a mile and a half around. Modern mining techniques mean that an
average of 120 tonnes of slate block is still quarried each day using a
minimum of staff. The quarry is also home to the Delabole butterfly
(Spirifer vermuli).