Slate House Ltd

building for the future

In 2008, Kevin made the decision to build his first workshop in the garden of his home. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of his journey into slate cutting. He chose Welsh slate as his material of choice, sourcing it directly from quarries in North Wales and having it shipped down to his workshop.

The establishment of his own cutting facility proved transformative for the business. With the ability to cut and shape slate to his exact specifications, Kevin gained the flexibility to expand his product range significantly. No longer limited by standard slate sizes or pre-cut options, he could now make a much wider variety of products, each tailored to meet specific customer needs and design requirements.

a new chapter

By 2009, Kevin quit his day job to go all-in on Valley Mill. Going full-time meant he could finally sell face-to-face at local markets in Hay-on-Wye, Monmouth, and Abergavenny.

He also started setting up shop at bigger events like the Royal Welsh Show. Getting out there, chatting with locals, and putting the brand on the map gave the business the massive boost it needed to really take off.

A new location

With demand booming from all those shows across Wales, Valley Mill quickly outgrew the garden and moved into a proper workshop in Crynant.

This bigger space was a game-changer, giving the business the room it needed to ramp up production and work more efficiently. It also meant Kevin could hire a skilled team and start supplying high street stores all over the UK, taking the business to a whole new level.

On the high street

In 2011, Valley Mill achieved another massive milestone by opening its very first high street retail store in Neath.

Stepping into the world of brick-and-mortar retail was a huge leap forward for the brand. It gave the company a permanent, dedicated home right in the heart of the town, allowing customers to walk in, experience the quality of the Welsh slate, and see the craftsmanship firsthand. The Neath shop quickly became a bustling hub for the brand, proving that what started as a home project had officially grown into an established high street business.

Trophies & Awards

Valley Mill also expanded into manufacturing custom trophies and awards, catering to both local sports clubs and major corporate clients.

The brand quickly became a trusted name for premium presentation pieces, crafting bespoke awards for high-profile organizations including Admiral, Red Bull, the Football Association of Wales, and BAFTA Cymru.

New product range

In 2015 we branched out into designing and manufacturing our own bespoke range of Welsh slate and granite memorials. We recognized how important it is to have a lasting, meaningful tribute for loved ones, so bringing this process entirely in-house was a natural next step.

By combining our engineering precision with these beautiful, durable stones, we were able to offer families deeply personal, high-quality memorials crafted with the utmost care and respect.

New Store

Building on that momentum, we took another big step forward by opening the doors to our brand-new store in Swansea.

This new location allowed us to bring our Welsh slate products, custom awards, and memorials closer to a whole new community, expanding our high street presence and making it even easier for customers to experience our craftsmanship in person.

Rebrand

We eventually decided to rebrand from Valley Mill to Slate House, a name that perfectly highlights our roots and our focus on premium slate.

While our look and name evolved to better showcase what we do best, our core values stayed exactly the same: a proud Welsh heritage, military precision, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

New process

Today, everything we make is crafted in our Resolven workshop. To bring your visions to life, we recently invested £32,000 in cutting-edge UV printing technology.

This game-changing addition allows us to print in vibrant, full color directly onto our natural slate products. Alongside our workshop upgrades, we completely overhauled our website—making it smoother and easier than ever for you to design your own custom creations online.