Amlwch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Amlwch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | ||
| Population: | 3,438 (2001 census) | |
| Ordnance Survey | ||
| OS grid reference: | Maps for SH439930 | |
| Administration | ||
| Principal area: | Anglesey | |
| Constituent country: | Wales | |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom | |
| Other | ||
| Police force: | North Wales Police | |
| Ceremonial county: | Gwynedd | |
| Historic county: | Anglesey | |
| Post office and telephone | ||
| Post town: | AMLWCH | |
| Postal district: | LL68 | |
| Dialling code: | +44-1407 | |
| Politics | ||
| UK Parliament: | Ynys Môn | |
| European Parliament: | Wales | |
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Amlwch is the most Northerly town in Wales. It is in the North East of the Isle of Anglesey, just off the North Wales coast and on the A5025.
It grew in the eighteenth century around what was then the world's biggest copper mine at the nearby Parys Mountain. By the late eighteenth century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil. It was at this time that its harbour was also extended to allow for the ships needed to transport the ore.
When copper mining began to decline in the mid 1850s shipbuilding became the main industry with many people also becoming involved in the ship repair and other sea going industries. Even after the decline of the copper mine some chemical industries remained, In 1953 a chemical plant to extract bromine from sea water for use in petrol engines was built but this closed in 2004.
At the peak of the copper mining, it is believed that Amlwch had a record of public house to person ratio, with there being one pub for every 4 people. Today the ratio is nowhere near that mark but you can find pubs such as The King's Head, The Queen's Head, The Mariner, Dinorben Arms Hotel, The Bull and Market Tavern in the town, and The Adelphi Vaults and Liverpool Arms down in the port area.
Attractions in Amlwch include its restored port, the Anglesey Coastal Path which passes through it, its watch house containing a small Heritage centre, and the reinforced concrete church Our Lady of the Sea. The town's leisure centre is one of the few on Anglesey and has a swimming pool, sports centre and squash courts.
The town also has a football team, Amlwch Town F.C. that play in the Gwynedd League.
It is also home to the local secondary school, Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones.
[edit] External links
- Photos of the Parys Mountain Copper Mine near Amlwch
- The Amlwch Community website for people who drink in the Dinorben
- Amlwch Project
- Amlwch Town Football Club Website
- Amlwch message board and forum
- History of Copper mining at Parys Mountain
- Industrial History of Amlwch
- Amlwch Community Wesbite
- Genealogy of Amlwch area
