- Amlwch
infobox UK place
country =Wales
welsh_name=
latitude= 53.41
longitude=-04.34
constituency_welsh_assembly=Ynys Môn
official_name=Amlwch
os_grid_reference=SH439930
unitary_wales=Anglesey
lieutenancy_wales=Gwynedd
constituency_westminster=Ynys Môn
post_town=AMLWCH
postcode_district=LL68
postcode_area=LL
dial_code=01407
population=3,438 (2001 census)
map_type=Amlwch is the most northerly
town inWales . It is situated in the north east of the Isle ofAnglesey , just off theNorth Wales coast and on the A5025.The name Amlwch – a reference to the site of the town's harbour, Porth Amlwch – derives from Welsh "am" ("on, around") and "llwch" (an old word meaning "inlet, creek"). [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/whatsinaname/sites/placenames/pages/amlwch.shtml BBC Wales: What's in a name?] ]
According to legend in the
Middle Ages the town developed on a site that had a harbour but was not visible from the sea which helped to reduce the chance ofViking attacks.It grew in the eighteenth century around what was then the world's biggest
copper mine at the nearbyParys Mountain . By the late eighteenth century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales afterMerthyr Tydfil . It was at this time that its harbour was also extended to allow for the ships needed to transport the ore. It is currently the fourth largest settlement on the island with 3,438 inhabitants.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, and in 1953 a chemical plant to extractbromine from sea water (for use in petrol engines) was built but this closed in 2004. The imminent closure of nearbyWylfa nuclear power station will have a further detrimental effect on the local economy.At the peak of the copper mining, it is believed that Amlwch had a record of
public house to personratio , 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. It also used to have a station which was the northern terminus for theAnglesey Central Railway which was open between 1864 and 1993.Attractions in Amlwch include its restored
port , theAnglesey Coastal Path which passes through it, itswatch tower containing a small Heritage centre, and thereinforced concrete church Our Lady of the Sea. The town'sleisure centre is one of the few on Anglesey and has aswimming pool , sports centre and squash courts.The town also has a football team,
Amlwch Town F.C. , that play in the Welsh Alliance League.It is also home to the local
secondary school , "Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones".References
External links
* [http://y2u.co.uk/&002_Images/Parys_Mountain_01.htm Photos of the Parys Mountain Copper Mine near Amlwch]
* [http://www.amlwchweb.com An Amlwch Community Website With old Photographs / forum etc. ]
* [http://www.amlwchtownfc.co.uk Amlwch Town Football Club Website]
* [http://www.parysmountain.co.uk History of Copper mining at Parys Mountain]
* [http://www.copperkingdom.co.uk Industrial History of Amlwch]
* [http://www.amlwch.net Amlwch's Community Website]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3589924 photos of Amlwch and surrounding area on geograph]
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