Work to preserve the former Penrhyn Quarry Hospital near Bethesda is about to get underway.

Cyngor Gwynedd says it will take around seven months to carry out an extensive programme of "sensitive" conservation work, aimed at making the 19th century site more stable and prevent further deterioration.

Emergency work also took place earlier this year to clear vegetation around the building and carry out masonry repairs.

A series of open days will be held to allow the public to see first-hand what is going on at the hospital.

Cllr Nia Jeffreys, interim leader of Cyngor Gwynedd, said: "We are very happy to see the conservation works at Penrhyn Quarry Hospital progressing."

"This essential work will safeguard the monument for future generations, facilitating better opportunities for access and interpretation of this much-loved site."

"Cyngor Gwynedd is pleased to be a partner in this project and is looking forward to working with Welsh Slate and Cadw on the scheme."

Penrhyn Quarry Hospital is located next to the cycle track at Lôn Las Ogwen, which connects Port Penrhyn to local communities and the slate landscape of North West Wales, which secured world heritage status in 2021.

The hospital plays an important part in the story of Welsh slate, and in particular the role of health and welfare within the slate society.

The project will focus on stabilising and consolidating the deteriorating structures, such as the standing walls, masonry and pointing mortar.

Stone copings and flaunching will be introduced to reduce water ingress into the core of the wall, while conserving the remaining architectural and historic details within.

The overall aim of the work is to ensure the hospital is safe to allow for ongoing future maintenance.

Access to the Lôn Las Ogwen track will not be affected.

Lord Dafydd Wigley, chair of The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site Partnership Board, said: "The story of health and welfare within the slate valleys is a vital and fascinating part of its history."

"The quarrymen were trailblazers when it came to social care, and these hospitals led the way in many of the treatments and medication we rely so heavily upon in today's health service."

"Safeguarding this structure is vital in telling the story of healthcare across the World Heritage Site, we have the Dinorwig Quarry Hospital in Llanberis which has been reopened as a museum and the Ffestiniog Quarry Hospital which has long been a private house, so to ensure that the Penrhyn Quarry Hospital is able to relay the story of its location by securing the structure and including interpretation is a fantastic prospect."

The work forms part of the wider Llewyrch o'r Llechi scheme, which aims to create three cultural hubs in Bethesda, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llanberis worth a total of £27 million.

Funding in the Dyffryn Ogwen area is being spent on upgrading the Neuadd Ogwen in Bethesda, while a local social enterprise is receiving a grant to regenerate an empty town centre building into a heritage and community centre. Further improvement work is also taking place along Lôn Las Ogwen.

The council is working alongside both Cadw and Welsh Slate - a part of the Breedon Group - on the hospital project, with Recclesia Ltd appointed as contractors, under the supervision of architects Donald Insall Associates.

Elgan Jones of Donald Insall Associates, said: "The conservation works are being undertaken at a critical point in the history of the building; the removal of the vegetation highlighted the fragile condition of the building fabric and, without this intervention, would likely deteriorate at an accelerated rate, rendering the structure unsafe and eventually result in its collapse."

"We are thrilled to work alongside a passionate project team with a shared goal to safeguard the fabric and conserve the architectural and historical details, which tells us of its former use and role within the wider slate landscape."

Barry O'Connor, general manager of Welsh Slate, added: "We are thrilled to be part of the work to conserve Penrhyn Quarry Hospital, we understand the fondness for the site locally, and as landowners want to ensure that the site is maintained as sensitively as possible."

"As a proud partner in the project we are delighted that our contribution of materials towards the work will enable the funding to go further towards the sensitive conservation of the structure."