History in Structure

Lighthouse and watchtower, with attached building at the entrance of the old harbour

A Grade II Listed Building in Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.4153 / 53°24'55"N

Longitude: -4.3329 / 4°19'58"W

OS Eastings: 245048

OS Northings: 393482

OS Grid: SH450934

Mapcode National: GBR HMNN.ZZW

Mapcode Global: WH421.DFY2

Plus Code: 9C5QCM88+4R

Entry Name: Lighthouse and watchtower, with attached building at the entrance of the old harbour

Listing Date: 7 August 1974

Last Amended: 12 December 2000

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 5718

Building Class: Recreational

Also known as: Lighthouse and watchtower, with attached building at the entrance of the old harbour

ID on this website: 300005718

Location: Located at the W end of the pier at the N end of the Lower Basin or outer part of the old harbour.

County: Isle of Anglesey

Town: Amlwch

Community: Amlwch

Community: Amlwch

Locality: Porth Amlwch

Built-Up Area: Amlwch

Traditional County: Anglesey

Tagged with: Lighthouse

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Amlwch

History

Lighthouse and watchtower built in 1853, with attached building, now in use as an exhibition centre. In 1768 a rich deposit of copper ore was discovered on Parys Mountain, to the south of Amlwch, and for a generation the two opencast mines of Parys and Mona became the largest producers of copper in the world, with over 3000 tons(3048 tonnes) of copper produced annually between 1773 and 1785. The exported ores, copper and sulphur, and imported coal, was carried by ship, and the existing harbour at Amlwch was deemed inadequate for the vastly increased volume of traffic. In 1793 an Act of Parliament was passed which permitted the "...enlargement, deepening, cleansing, improvement and regulation of the harbour". Among the reasons given were the benefits of the additional safety to shipping as well as providing a retreat for ships in storms.
The harbour was further improved in 1816 by the building of a pier at its N end; the lighthouse and watchtower were erected in 1853. The harbour was also the scene of a busy ship building industry in C19.

Exterior

Mid C19 3-storey lighthouse and watchtower with long single storey range to E. Built of rubble masonry with limestone dressings and plinth; slate roofs. The lighthouse and watchtower has battered walls and a hipped roof. The lower 2 storeys have exposed stonework including large limestone quoins at angles; above the 2nd storey is a slightly advanced string course above which the elevations are rendered. Windows are 6-pane casements, one to each storey of the S elevation, a single upper storey window at the W end of the N elevation (facing out to sea).
The long range built against the E wall of the tower was probably built with a gable roof, now raised along the S wall and with a single pitched roof sloping down to the N. The S elevation has a doorway at the far L (W) end with a 6-pane casement window to its R; offset to the R end of the range are 2 narrow slots. At the far R (E) end there is a wide doorway with shallow cambered head inscribed with the date 1853.

Interior

Interior not inspected at the time of the survey.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as good, well-preserved, mid C19 lighthouse and watchtower which retains original character. The harbour was built originally to cater for the increased passage of shipping created by the industrial developments at Parys Mountain; the lighthouse and watchtower erected on the N pier was an important component part of the later C19 harbour development, based around the ship-building industry.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

  • II Pier at the entrance of the old harbour
    Located at the N end of the E side of the Lower Basin or outer part of the old harbour.
  • II Dry dock
    Located to the NE of the old harbour, and S of the new harbour.
  • II Sail Loft
    In an elevated position above the dry dock at the N end of the harbour, the sail loft is slightly set back from the N end of Pen Cei (Upper Quay Street).
  • II Copper Hoppers
    A linear range aligned along the E side of the Upper Basin or inner harbour of the harbour at Porth Amlwch; located directly below and aligned with Pen Cei (Upper Quay Street).
  • II Chimney nearest to the Sail Loft
    Located to the NE end of the Lower Basin of the old harbour, c55m E of the Sail Loft and to SE of the dry dock.
  • II Harbour Walls of old harbour
    Located to the N of Lon y Cei (Quay Street), with a slipway to the S end; sections of walling link up vertical rock faces to form a continuous harbour wall, with level quayside.
  • II Mona Windmill
    Located on a headland to the W of Porth Amlwch. Reached via an unsurfaced trackway leading E off the chemical works access road.
  • II Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru
    On the N side of the road from Amlwch Port to Pengorffwysfa, set back in a railed forecourt.

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