Harbour Walls of old harbour

Cadw's description

Location

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.

History

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 regulated by a Board of Trustees, which included Thomas Williams, Edward Hughes and Sir Nicholas Bayley. The new harbour was constructed along the eastern edge of the existing inlet, by cutting a level platform c400 feet(122m) long and 60 feet(18.3m) wide into the steeply sloping rock face. It is estimated that 20,000 tons(20,320 tonnes) of stone were excavated to make the harbour and quayside, some of which was used to build the harbour revetment wall and pier, as well as a series of six large ore bins. A new road was built above the bins, Pen Cei (Upper Quay Street), which allowed ore to be deposited directly from carts.
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 (listed separately).
In the C19 the harbour was the scene of a busy ship building industry, and a dry dock was created to the NE of the harbour by Nicholas Treweek in the mid C19 (listed separately).

Exterior

Late C18 and early C19 harbour walls; stone built with battered faces, with long slabs of stone and large natural boulders vertically aligned. The walling connects vertical rock faces along the W side of the harbour, and forms a continous face on the E side, which has a level quayside alongside. Long stretches of walling are capped with large slabs of stone and there is a rubble built, long drop privy at the far N end of the W side of the harbour; built of large stones, now with modern, single pitched, slate roof.
The harbour has 2 main parts: the Upper Basin or inner harbour (at the S end) and the Lower Basin or outer harbour to the N. The Upper Basin encompasses a narrow inlet which runs down to the slipway at the far S end, and had the main industrial developments along the W and E sides; the inlet was widened towards the N end, to form docking areas, and part of the W side formed a bay for a ship-building yard. Beyond (N) of the docking areas the channel narrows to form a division between inner and outer harbours, which could be completely blocked off to provide a safe haven in severe storms.
The Lower Basin or outer harbour is the seawards area to N of the narrow division. The harbour widens out and 'new' piers were erected along the W side and out from the E side (featured on the Francis map of 1828). The E pier at the N end of the outer harbour is listed separately.

Reason for designation

Listed as good, well-preserved, late C18 harbour walls of characteristic design influenced by the influx of Cornishmen to the area. The harbour was erected to cater for the increased passage of shipping created by an important period in the development of Amlwch.