A lofty view of ''Port Madoc'' as we English say it, and a scene much changed from when Porthmadog flourished as a port, its population rising from 885 in 1821 to over 3,000 by 1861. The rapidly growing cities around the world needed high-quality roofing slate, which was brought to the port by tramway from nearby quarries. By 1873 over 116,000 tons were exported through Porthmadog in over a thousand ships. Several shipbuilders were active at this time. Today of course - the port is given over to tourist / leisure visits with the resulting increased accommodation.

[ some of the info' from 'Wiki' ]