Amlwch Copper Kingdom

Parys Mine - Parys Mountain

Useful Information

Location:	South of Amlwch on Anglesey island. From Amlwch B5111 south for 2 km.
Open:	Amlwch Copper Kingdom: no restriction. Sail Loft Visitor Centre: Easter to Whitsun daily 10-14. Whitsun to SEP daily 10-17. Underground Tours: After appointment only, i.g. Wed 18:30. [2008]
Fee:
Classification:	Copper Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=3 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Amlwch Copper Kingdom, Sail Loft Visitor Centre, The Old Sail Loft, Porth Amlwch, Anglesey, LL68 9DB, Tel: +44-1248-725758. E-mail: Parys Underground Group (Grwp Tanddaearol Parys), Alan Kelly, 1 Bryn Seion, Rhosgoch, Ynys Mon, LL68 OAE, Tel: +44-1407-711094. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1406	Robert Parys was appointed by the King to collect taxes and fines from the people of Anglesey, as a reward he was given Mynydd Trysglwyn.
1698	The Prince's mine at Trysglwyn, written mention.
1996	Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust established.

Geology

Description

Parys Mountain (147 m asl) is long gone, it is now Parys Mine, a series of huge open casts making the hill look like a landscape on Mars. Mining started during Celtic times, the Bronze Age, as copper was used to make bronze. Later probably the Romans mined here, but there is no evidence, just some typical signs. But the heyday of the copper mining was during the late 18th and 19th century. It is said that this copper mine was the largest in the world during the 18th century, producing at their peak over 3,000 tonnes of metal per year. During 150 years more than 3.5 million tones of ore was raised, most of it by hand.

Parys Mountain was named after Robert Parys, who received the land as a reward for service to the Crown in 1406. The original Welsh name is Mynydd Trysglwyn, which means "hill topped with a grove of trees covered in scabby lichens".

In 2008 Anne Brennan, of Dwyran, a descendent of Thomas Fanning Evans, a former lessee of the Parys Mine, presented an gift to the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust which runs the Copper Kingdom. A copper ingot dating back to the Roman occupation of Wales 2,000 years ago. The mining artefact is said to be one of the most important exhibits of the small museum, as there are only very few bun ingots relating to Anglesey existing and this is the only one which is in Amlwch. During the 19th century three large copper cakes from the time of the Roman occupation were found at different places on the mountain side. But very little is known about mining in this era.