A pop-up exhibition at Holyhead Market Hall proved to be a hit with international cruise passengers visiting the area.

Visitors were treated to a new pop-up heritage exhibition at the newly refurbished Market Hall.

The recent visit of the cruise ship ‘Carnival Pride’ saw a number of international passengers visit the ‘old town’ area of Holyhead, visiting the pop-up exhibition in the process.

The exhibition, which was set up by Anglesey Council’s Regeneration Team (in collaboration with the council’s library and archive service), included information regarding historical royal visits to Holyhead, the origins of the Market Hall and the recent major refurbishment project. It also featured information surrounding St. Cybi’s Church, the Roman Fort and Anglesey’s coastal path.

A visitor book has been installed at the Market Hall to record the names, origin and the thoughts of visitors.

Mike and Mona Roberts from Missouri commented: “Nice visit, nice town – lots of fun!” and the Quigley family from Michigan said: “Lovely library and town!”

Anglesey’s Deputy Leader and Economy Portfolio Holder, Cllr Carwyn Jones, said, “Unsurprisingly, our beautiful island is proving to be a very popular port of call for cruise ship passengers. It’s important that we continue to work hard to ensure that we maximise the positive local economic benefit this has across all of our communities.”

He added, “As well as improving the visitor experience in Holyhead, we are also actively encouraging the cruise ship tour buses to visit various destinations around Anglesey and have also arranged training for local tour guides.”

St. Cybi’s medieval church and the unusually well-preserved Roman fort are popular destinations with visitors and local residents. These unique heritage assets are subject to new investment proposals to further enhance the visitor experience – including a new viewing platform to the north-east tower of the fort.

Holyhead Heritage Regeneration Project Manager, Nathan Blanchard, who planned and delivered the award-winning Market Hall project, explained, “It’s fantastic to be able to welcome so many international visitors to the town and the Market Hall. The area is so rich in history and culture, it’s great to be able to display and share this at an exhibition.”

He added, “I’d like to thank Kirsty Baker who has made this exhibition a success and also to local residents for providing the visitors with a warm welcome. The feedback we’ve received from the visitors has been incredibly positive, and we hope to arrange similar exhibitions in the future.”

Ends 16 August 2022

Notes to editors

Holyhead Market Hall has been subject to a £4m refurbishment by the county council funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Welsh Government and European Regional Development Fund.

The Anglesey Tour Guide training scheme was delivered at the Market Hall by the Wales Official Tour Guide Association on behalf of Isle of Anglesey County Council via the UK Community Renewal Fund.

Improvements to the St Cybi’s Churchyard, Roman Fort and Swift Square area are now planned with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government and UK Government.