Amlwch, Wales

Copper Kingdom Visitor Centre

A new visitor centre for Amlwch

Situated on the north coast of Anglesey, Amlwch is home to one of the most historic ports in Wales and includes several Scheduled and Listed Monuments in its waterside Conservation Area. Menter Môn and Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust wished to provide a centrepiece to the port, and a recognisable image to make it a ‘destination’ which was consciously identifiable with Amlwch and its natural and built setting. Following our earlier HLF-funded development plan for the port, Donald Insall Associates was commissioned to design this new visitor centre.

The main features of the centre were designed through carrying out innovative interpretations of the site and its context, offering a uniquely authentic building. We consulted the Archaeological Trust so as to fully understand the site’s features, focusing on delivering key analogies of the historic relics of Amlwch Port within the new forms, materials and circulation in order to provide visitors with a creative understanding of the built and natural environment and rich industrial heritage in Amlwch.

Testimonials

We believe the design of the copper bins utilises some strong interpretative analogies: the timber chutes, the use of copper cladding, and exposing the rock face as a central idea behind the design thinking. The concept appears to have realised the challenge of combining a functional space with architectural concepts that relate to the heritage we are interpreting based on the copper mining industry of Amlwch.

— Neil Johnstone, Heritage Manager, Menter Môn