Career
He joined R. C. Carpenter as his first pupil, and for some years lived with the Carpenter family. Slater became Carpenter"s assistant, and later left him to establish an independent practice with another of Carpenter"s pupils, William Smith (later Bassett-Smith). Together, from 1852, Slater and Smith designed Loughborough Town Hall, a parsonage, and restored three churches.
However Carpenter died in 1855 at the age of 42, and Slater was persuaded to take over his practice.