Tender Instructions and Information September 2010

Published by Menter Mon On behalf of the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust

CONTENTS Page Number

A. Project Background (1-5) 2

B. Budget (6) 4

C. Objectives for the Interpretation (7-16) 4

D. Audience Research (17-21) 8

E. Interpretation Requirements (22-31) 9

F. Selection Process and Deadlines (32-43) 10

ANNEX

ANNEX A: Pricing Schedule

ANNEX B: References

ANNEX C: Tender Submission Receipt

Invitation to Tender

Brief to Consultants For:

Copper Bin Interpretation for Copper Kingdom Project

A Project Background 1. The project is to design and produce an interpretive experience to tell the story of Amlwch’s Copper Mining heritage and promote the internationally significant archaeology of Parys Mountain. This is to take the form of an exhibition covering the social history of Amlwch and working life in the mines, the prehistoric and industrial archaeology of the mountain and the unique geological and environmental nature of the mines.

2. Housing this exhibition is to be the main function of the Copper Bin, a historic building in Porth Amlwch being renovated for the purpose under the Anglesey Three Towns Physical Regeneration scheme and funding from Welsh Assembly Government. The interpretation to be housed inside is being commissioned by the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust. The Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust (AIHT) is a registered charity formed in 1996. Its goals are the preservation of the area’s industrial heritage, the promotion of research into the area’s history and geology and the economic regeneration of the area through tourist development of these resources.

3. Once work is completed the Copper Bin will form a significant part of the Copper Kingdom tourist destination which also includes: • The Sail Loft: A cafe and visitor centre two minutes walk from the Copper Bin which will focus on the community’s maritime heritage. Currently the Sail Loft is the Copper Kingdom’s only visitor centre and houses exhibitions on both the maritime and the mining heritage.

• The Watch Tower: Also within easy walking distance of the Copper Bin, the Watch tower is being developed by GeoMon as a visitor centre to promote Anglesey’s status as a European Geopark. • Parys Mountain: The exotic landscape left behind by copper mining is presented to the public through a heritage trail and guided tours. The mountain currently attracts 21,000 visits per year.

4. The production of this exhibition forms part of an HLF project to conserve and present the important mining heritage of Amlwch for the benefit of the local community and visitors to Anglesey. In the next year works financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund will see restoration work to historic structures and access improvements on the mountain and the provision of interpretation. The HLF documentation also includes an Interpretation Plan which proposes a number of ICT components such as the creation of a detailed 3D Virtual model of Parys Mountain and underground mines, as conceived by the Trust and Technium CAST. This computer model currently forms a major component of our proposal for interpretation on the mountain as well as in the Copper Bin and the interpreters chosen will need to work with AIHT and partners in order to fully explore the viability of incorporating such a model into the exhibition. The HLF funded programme of activities also includes skills training for local people in a number of relevant areas and an oral history project.

5. The landscape of Amlwch and Parys Mountain is a designated Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest and the Copper Kingdom visitor destination aims to encourage public understanding and appreciation of this landscape, so much of which stems from the copper ores of the mountain. The landscape area includes the mountain and its mines, Amlwch Port, the townscape of Amlwch and the rural area between Amlwch and the mountain.

B. Budget 6. The outline budget for design and production of the exhibits is in the range £200,000 to £250,000 excluding VAT. The exhibition space has been calculated as approximately 266 square meters.

C. Objectives for the Interpretation

7. Learning objective 1: Visitors should be left understanding that the landscape of Parys Mountain is man-made and how this came about through the geology and mining.

8. Learning objective 2: Visitors should understand the links between copper mining and the maritime heritage of Amlwch and why they are both covered by the Copper Kingdom project.

9. Emotional Objective 1: Visitors should be able to empathise with mine workers and appreciate how hard their work was and how their personal fortunes depended on the unpredictable yield of the mountain rock.

10. Emotional Objective 2: Visitors should feel impressed by the achievements of Amlwch workers in reshaping the landscape through their industrial activity on and within the mountain.

11. Behavioural Objective 1: Visitors should be motivated to visit (or revisit) Parys Mountain and to explore other sites in the designated Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest.

12. Target Visitor Numbers: In order for the Copper Kingdom project to be financially viable visitor numbers to the Copper Bin must exceed 30,000 per year. Admission to the Copper Bin displays will be charged at £2.95 per adult with concessions available.

Overall Theme 13. The interpretive theme for the exhibition is that ‘The lunar landscape of Parys Mountain is a monument to the thousands of people whose lives and fortunes were shaped by the search for copper ore’. All exhibits should in some way contribute to developing this theme in visitor’s minds

Historic background 14. Mynydd Parys was first mined for copper ore during the Bronze Age and there is indirect evidence of copper mining there during the Roman occupation of Britain. The main period of mining occurred though after the discovery of a large deposit of easily accessible ore in 1768. Parys Mountain became the world’s leading copper mine in the 1780s and was the foundation of Thomas Williams’ copper monopoly which controlled world prices of the metal at a time when it was crucial to Britain’s naval power and the slave trade. As a result of the large workforce required at the mines the small fishing village of Amlwch became the largest town in North Wales and second only to Merthyr Tydfil nationally.

15. Mine workers pay was dependent on the amount of ore they found and they had to pay for their own equipment and explosives, which meant that an unlucky miner could work all day and only end up in debt to unscrupulous mine agents. Mining was carried out initially by numerous shallow shafts and then by opencast methods creating the Great Opencast and Hillside Opencast that dominate the mountain today, then in later years by deep underground mining. Copper was also extracted from the mountain by precipitation and the precipitation ponds are a major feature of the relict landscape on the mountain.

16. Amlwch Port developed in response to the mine’s output and the demand for Copper and this is the crucial link between the area’s industrial and maritime heritages. The decline of the mines prompted a decline in the fortunes of the town. Riots occurred in the town in 1816

over the price of food at a time of low employment in the mines and on the mountain in 1863 over the use of Cornish workers in the mine.

The Building The Copper Bin was once one of a row of structures used to store ore from the mines before being shipped out to be sold on or smelted. The row of Copper bins on the east harbour side were each filled from the street above through a chute in the roof.

The proposals for Amlwch Copper Bins have been carefully developed to create an optimum balance between conservation and modern improvements to the Port. Past damage will be undone through conservative repair and creative reuse of the existing Copper Bins as a new Visitor Centre. As part of the design, an authentic interpretation of the important history at Amlwch will be portrayed through integrating key historic features.

The complex seeks to enliven the quayside and provides an improved tourist offer with retail space, exhibition space and artefact display, and multi functional space with the capacity for a 3D cinema screen. Circulation spaces are generous to ensure movement through the building is easy for all. Café and support facilities will be provided by The Sail Loft and The Watchtower nearby, enhancing the Port site as a whole and safeguarding the quayside building fabric for future generations.

Historically, the Copper bins were built on an excavated rock surface at quay level, and the copper ore delivered from Parys Mountain to Pen Cei above the bins by cart. From Pen Cei, the ore was poured down to the bins below through large timber chutes. The ore would then be collected be taken across the world by ship.

There is only one roofed Copper Bin still intact, and one timber chute. The Visitor Centre’s circulation respects and exposes the rock face to the back of the bins as a main feature. The evoked feeling inside next to the rock face is intended to give the visitor an experience of going down the mine workings at Parys Mountain. The two new modern timber ‘pods’ will break the mass of the bins and penetrate through the roof to provide essential circulatory shafts which mimic the timber chutes as historically utilised for distributing the ore.

The extension within the adjoining copper bin will respect the mass and form of its neighbour; the main copper bin. The new build element has been designed in copper to contrast with the existing masonry and enhance understanding and the setting of the original copper bin construction. It will be developed to enable multi-functional activities, and external copper shutter screens over windows are employed to create a dark space for cinema screening, opened to allow natural light for class room and study purposes.

The new interventions are purposefully visible in order to signal the buildings new use as a visitor centre, however both are reversible and do not affect the original masonry construction.

Elinor Gray-Williams. Cymdeithion Donald Insall Associates, Conwy.

The Artefact Collection 17. The Copper Bin will house the AIHT’s collection of ore minerals and geological samples and artefact’s relating to mining on Parys Mountain and the Amlwch community. The interpretive exhibits must make effective use of these samples and artefacts and explain their function and significance, as well as that of the building itself. Original objects are of higher intrinsic interest than replicas which are in turn of higher intrinsic interest than graphic representations and the exhibition must reflect this. Even when interpreting obscure industrial artefacts texts must remain focussed on human stories i.e. of the workers who employed these artefacts in their working lives. Example artefacts to be exhibited include: • The Main copper and other metal ore minerals mined and the host rocks. • Hammerstones used in Bronze Age Mining on Parys Mountain • Roman Bun Ingot found on Parys Mountain. • Crucibles from Mona mineyard used to test small quantities of ore. • Crucible bottom slag from a smelter on Parys Mountain. • Large Wooden bellows used in the Smithy on Parys Mountain. • Replica winding gear or “whimsy” including original parts, used to raise and lower workmen at the mines. • Portrait photograph of Thomas Mitchell, mine captain of Parys Mine. • Replica mine tokens. • Powder horn • Tallow candle stubs • Head of a metal rake used in the precipitation ponds. • Firebricks used for furnace lining. • Horsewhip used on Parys Mountain mules. 7

• A Copper Lady’s knockstone and lump hammer. • Beer bottles from Amlwch Brewery. • Miner’s sledgehammers.

D. Audience Research 18. Parys Mountain currently attracts 21,000 visits a year but of these just over half also visit the Sail Loft, which currently houses the AIHT’s artefacts and galleries covering Copper Mining. There must be sufficient incentives for this audience to visit the Copper Bin to greatly improve this rate of referral. Visitors to the mountain are often motivated purely by its aesthetic aspects and may have a very poor understanding of the geology and how the artefactual landforms came about through human hard labour.

19. The audience profile is typical of an Anglesey heritage tourist attraction, with the majority of visitors over 50, repeat tourists to the Island hailing from North West England and from middle class professions.

20. When asked to choose what topics interested them most from a list of possible interpretive subjects related to the mountain visitors top five choices in descending order of popularity:

i. Ancient Miners in Bronze Age and Roman Times ii. An Average Miner’s daily life iii. Mining techniques and technology iv. Women and Children employed in mining v. How the Mountain landscape was formed.

21. More information and audience research is available on request.

E. Interpretation requirements:

22. The exhibition must have a good balance of interactive and non- interactive exhibits and of mobile and inert exhibits, sufficient to hold visitors interests for a period that conforms to the entry fee to the attraction. The Information Communication Technology (ICT) proposal produced by Technium CAST could be invaluable in achieving this balance.

23. The appointed company must be willing to collaborate with the appointed architect and contractor on the construction of the heritage centre to achieve the required finished product. A willingness to be flexible in their approach and to work to the clients deadlines will be necessary.

24. The interpretation must be fully bilingual and designed appropriately. Applicants are referred to the design guidelines for bilingual materials produced by the Welsh Language Board.

25. The exposed rock face in the rearmost part of the Copper Bin building is a key component of the architectural design concept of the design and must be utilised to simulate a mining environment and/or underground experience.

26. Proposals must include the use of a designated child-friendly area on the ground floor and provision of separate interpretation based on the same overall theme and objectives that is aimed specifically at children.

27. General interpretive texts for the adult audience should have a Flesch- Kincaid grade of 8.0 or lower, and therefore be appropriate to a reading age of 14 or below. However, there is also an important educational element to the project and information should therefore be “layered” to cater for the many school and college/university parties who visit the mountain.

28. Space for temporary exhibitions must be provided to allow for the periodic introduction of new displays to encourage repeat visiting.

29. The major problems of pollution which we inherit today from this past industrial heritage and their management should also be addressed, as should the prospects for future mining

30. Interpretation must be people oriented. What we mean by this is that interpretive messages must be relayed through human stories as people can relate easily to messages portrayed through ‘characters’. In the specific case of the Copper Kingdom it has been found that the audience is far more interested in working class or “ordinary” characters than in the well biographied industrialists such as Thomas Williams and James Treweek. This poses a challenge to interpreters as they must be competent in the use of archival material to dig up individuals from the great mass of “ordinary” workers and townspeople. We also expect interpreters to meet the challenge of applying this character driven approach to the prehistoric heritage of the site.

Assesment 31. A client interpretation team will collaborate with the appointed designers and give approval and input to the design phase of the project. On completion of the design and prior to commencing the build of the interpretation we would wish to test-bed the ideas and designs with a sample audience. This will allow for reflection and correction prior to implementation and help ensure the success of the proposed interpretive displays.

F. Selection process and Deadlines:

32. Suppliers are invited to submit a fixed price tender including all expenses for undertaking the commission as described in this document.

33. Potential suppliers will meet their own costs of responding to this tender and of any costs they incur for demonstrations, presentations or other activities associated with this tender. 34. Prices quoted must be held firm for at least 45 days from the closing date for tenders. 35. The supplier must be willing for the response to this tender to form part of the contractual relationship with the AIHT. 36. Submissions for selection should include: • A considered response highlighting how the requirements of this document will be met. • The approach to the design illustrated by sketch ideas in order to visualise an overarching design 'feel' for the display. This will provide a means of understanding of the creative methodology of each submission. • An indication of prior work of a similar nature. Together with a portfolio containing examples of previous work submitted with the tender • A clear timeline for delivery of the stated objectives and deliverables. • A breakdown of person days and costs for the development. • Name of lead person responsible for the project and of core project team. • We are allowing four weeks from the receipt of this document for the submission of a formal tender to allow for site visits and local research. It is desirable for companies to visit Amlwch in order to fully appreciate the requirements of the brief.

37. Tenders must therefore be received no later than 12pm on the Wednesday the 8th of December.

38. Short listed candidates will be notified within four working days of the closing date and invited for interview on the 17th of December. The appointment will be made by exchange of correspondence.

39. Completion of the construction project is scheduled for late July 2011. A programme to determine timescales for the completed interpretive installation will need to establish the feasibility of opening in time for the peak holiday period of 2011.

40. Should you have any queries, please contact Neil Johnstone on 01248725717 or email [email protected]

41. Fees will be paid in stages to be discussed during the selection process. It will be a condition of appointment that the consultants will hold the client indemnified against any claims arising from the commission whether caused by negligence or otherwise. Confirmation should be given that the appointed consultant carries professional indemnity insurance to a minimum sum of £250k.

42. Additional Information: A copy of the Interpretation Plan prepared for the HLF can be obtained on request, together with a study undertaken by Technium CAST on the proposed ICT components. Arrangements can be made for access to the Sail Loft, which houses the existing interpretive material and to the Copper Bins on request.

43. COPYRIGHT: All the designs and associated information will be passed to the client together with copyright on all documents and illustrations. Colour copies of the final outputs should be presented to the client at the end of the contract, together with electronic versions of all information. 2 copies of the tender submission should be sent to the address below and clearly marked ‘Copper Bin interpretation brief Tender’.

Tenders to be returned to: Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust C/o Menter Mon Llys Goferydd Bryn Cefni Industrial Estate

Llangefni Anglesey LL77 7XA

ANNEX A: PRICING SCHEDULE

Company Rates

£/ Staff Team Member / Job Description of work Title

All prices and rates are to exclude VAT which is to be charged in addition in accordance with legislation.

Fee for Basic Service Lump Sum £

ANNEX B: REFERENCES Referee No 1 Organisation: Contact Name: Address

Post Code: Telephone No: Email Address:

Referee No 2

Organisation: Contact Name: Address

Post Code: Telephone No: Email Address:

ANNEX C: TENDER SUBMISSION RECEIPT

TO BE RETAINED BY TENDERER

TENDERS - DELIVERED BY HAND

Copper Bin Interpretation for Copper Kingdom Project

Closing Date: 12 noon 04/12/2010

Tender delivered to Neil Johnstone Menter Mon, Llangefni Ind Estate, Llangefni, Anglesey. LL77 7XA

on:

......

at:

...... o'clock

Received by:

......

Date:

......

Signed:

......