YR ARDAL GYFAGOS | THE LOCAL VICINITY
Bae Cemaes Bay
The name Cemaes comes from the old word 'camas' meaning a 'loop' or 'meander'. The village name is occasionally spelt Cemais. At one time, the village was called Porth Wygyr ('harbour of the River Wygyr'). The river Wygyr enters the sea on the beach. Cemaes was once a centre for shipbuilding and exporting, but this declined in the mid-nineteenth century following the arrival of the railway at nearby Amlwch.
Today, Cemaes is an attractive small village (with a population of around 1,000) and has a number of shops on the Main Street as well as two public houses, a heritage centre and a village hall. it is the main centre on the coast of north-west Anglesey. Notable features in the area include the Village Hall which was built for the village by David Hughes in 1889; the disused Porthwen brickworks situated on the coast, about two miles east of the village and the Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, opened in 1971.
Porth Llechog - Bull Bay
Porth Llechog is a short distance west of Amlwch. The name Porth Llechog means 'bay of the township of Llechog'. The English name Bull Bay derives from a pool on the beach called Pwll y Tarw (the bull's pool). In the early nineteenth century Porth Llechog was a thriving shipbuilding and fishing port. Today, it is a residential area with some facilities for tourists.
Amlwch
Amlwch is situated on Anglesey's rugged northern coast and has the distinction of being the most northerly town in Wales. Its population in 2011 was 3,789, which is roughly the same as that of Menai Bridge. The name 'Amlwch' consists of two elements: 'am' meaning around and 'llwch' meaning lake or inlet. 'Llwch' has the same origin as the Scottish 'loch'. The town is close to Mynydd Parys. Amlwch is divided into two distinct parts: the town of Amlwch itself, which is a mile or so from the sea, and Amlwch Port (Porth Amlwch) which has a rich maritime history.
Mynydd Parys Mountain
In the 18th century, Mynydd Parys Mountain was the largest copper mine in the world. However, its history goes back over 4000 years to the Bronze Age.
Thomas Williams was a local solicitor in the 18th century whose manufacturing processes saw him sell the copper to the British Navy and through further processing, copper sheets [sheaths] were made and introduced to protect the naval fleets ships from timber worm and barnacle growth. This decision / invention turned out to be decisive as it also made the ships far more manoeuvrable and sea worthy in comparison to their counterparts i.e French and the Spanish. Well-known characters of this period are of course Nelson and HMS Victory.
Thomas Williams’ manufacturing processes saw him sell the copper to the British Navy and through further processing; copper sheets [sheaths] were made and introduced to protect the naval fleet’s ships from timber worm and barnacle growth. This decision / invention turned out to be decisive as it also made the ships far more manoeuvrable and sea worthy in comparison to their counterparts i.e French and the Spanish.
However, what is there to see today? The self-guided walk around the surface will show you a unique, colourful, lunar landscape and some fascinating industrial ruins.
The route takes you past a large deep excavation where the copper was carved out of the ground. If you look closely, you can see the remains of the Volcano at its heart. It is the mineral, which spewed out of this volcano, which was mined many years later.
It is known that mining took place here over 4000 years ago in the Bronze Age but most activity took place from 1768 after `The Great Discovery.
Roland Pugh a local miner stumbled on a large deposit of copper ore and it is from here that the story really takes off. It was from this point where we had our own equivalent to the Gold Rush, the Welsh Copper Rush, when people came from all parts of the UK, particularly from Derbyshire and Cornwall, hoping to make their fortune at the largest copper mine in the world.
However it was not only men and boys who worked at the mountain. The rock rich in ore once raised to the surface was further processed by the woman and children of the day, who became known as the “Copper Ladis”. These were women and young girls who chipped away the waste rock surrounding the ore.
These days many of the underground entrances have been sealed but you can still safely follow the self-guided trails around the surface.