Inigo Jones Slateworks\' £250,000 investment in a new tourist attraction in Groeslon, Gwynedd, has won the company \'Star Attraction\' status from the Wales Tourist Board.

The investment has coincided with the new Penygroes/Llanllyfni bypass, which has included a new entrance to Inigo Jones from a new roundabout.

The investment has given the company a modern showroom displaying the company\'s own products as well as other Welsh craft products.

The showroom has been built using natural products that include Trefor granite walling, Wincilate Welsh slate cills and Penrhyn Welsh slate roofing.

Inside, the floor is a mixture of light coloured wood and Heather Blue and Heather Red slate.

It is possible at the centre to have a self-guided tour of the slate works, which includes a video on quarrying and mining followed by a taped commentary that explains all the processes undertaken and seen during the tour.

The tour now also includes a geological exhibition and a lettercutting and calligraphy exhibition, with an opportunity for visitors to cut some letters themselves in a piece of slate that they can keep as a souvenir of their visit. A new cafe, called Welsh Rock Cafe, includes a history of Welsh music.

Inigo Jones were established in 1861 to produce school writing slates. They produced them by the thousand and they were sold all over the world.

Today, they use the same Welsh slate to make architectural, memorial and craft products and their showroom displays slate and granite worktops and fireplaces, as well as craft objects.