Portrait of George Harry Sharpe, oil painting

George Harry Sharpe (1862-1879) worked at Yr Eifl granite quarry, Trefor. He started working there in his teenage years, but tragically died at the age of 17 after injuring his leg in a serious accident at the quarry. The Sharpe family moved from Mount Sorrel, Leicestershire to work in Yr Eifl quarry in the late 1860s. According to the 1871 census, George Harry Sharpe, aged 8, was living at Trevor Row, with his father Joseph Sharpe (occupation Stone Quarrier), his mother Anne Sharpe and four siblings. His burial was recorded in Llanaelhaearn cemetery on 16th July 1879. The family remained in Trefor and his father  was a foreman at the Quarry until his retirement in the early 1900’s.

The artist is unknown but may have been painted by an artisan painter. The portrait was given to Storiel by one of his descendants.

Trefor quarry was opened in 1850 by Samuel Holland, and the quarry as well as the village was named after the quarry supervisor, Trevor Jones. The main product of the quarry was granite setts that were shipped to Liverpool and other cities for paving. In 1911 the Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan and Eifl quarries were joined to form the ‘Penmaenmawr and Welsh Granite Co. Ltd.’ Trefor quarry developed to be the world’s largest granite quarry by the 1930s. It was closed in 1963.

This item can be seen in the COLLECT AND KEEP exhibition at STORIEL until 31 December, 2021.

©Gwasanaeth Archifau Gwynedd Archives Service.