Work to transform the Laboratory Building at the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site in Swansea, where copper ore was probably tested during the city's industrial heyday, is due to finish this year. The grade-two listed building could become a restaurant seating more than 100 diners.
Restoration progress
Council contractors have been working on the building since late 2024 and are now starting to install new floors. A Welsh slate roof will also be added. The building is one of several at the site being restored, including a Penderyn whisky distillery, and will be ready for internal fit-out once complete.
The Laboratory Building, with its ornate windows and stone doorcase, sits next to the Morfa Gates, once a key entrance to the copperworks. It was likely used to test the quality of copper ore arriving at the site.
Future plans
A council spokesman said the rebuild is part of an ongoing programme to regenerate the Lower Swansea Valley, supported by the UK Government's local regeneration fund. Council leader Rob Stewart said: "We're bringing the historic Laboratory Building back into use [and] it's great to see the floors going in and the building coming back to life."
Stewart added: "The copperworks site has the potential to become a major leisure destination, building on its status as a key part of Swansea's heritage." He also mentioned plans for restoring the Tawe river corridor, including more boating pontoons, a new river walkway, and new facilities along the river.
Other site works
John Weaver Contractors have been leading the overhaul, with GWP Architecture and Coreus Group also involved. A search for a tenant for the Laboratory Building will begin shortly.
The nearby Vivian and Musgrave engine houses will also be restored. During excavation work, remains of wheel pits, rolling mill trenches, and furnace bases—some potentially up to 200 years old—were found. The project includes a new link building between the engine houses, which will be suitable for restaurant, cafe, retail, and exhibition uses.
