From Kidwelly to the World

The Globalising Tinplate project has brought together CofGâr and historians from the School of Culture and Communication at Swansea University to take a fresh look at what is arguably Carmarthenshire’s most important industrial heritage site: the Kidwelly Tinplate Works. This partnership combined local knowledge with academic research to uncover stories that had previously been overlooked, helping to build a richer and more rounded understanding of the site’s history. 

Kidwelly Tinplate Works is a significant survivor, preserving original structures from one of the UK’s earliest and longest-running tinplate works (1737–1938). Few such sites remain in Europe because most early tinplate works have been lost to industrial development or demolition.

At the heart of the Globalising Tinplate project is a research report by historian Dr Katherine Watson, whose work has transformed how we think about tinplate in south-west Wales. Her findings show that the industry was not only locally important, but also deeply connected to wider global networks. Early tinplate works, including Kidwelly, were financed in part by wealth linked to overseas trade, and the industry itself fed into global systems through investment, materials, and the goods it produced.

Watson highlights several key examples. Investment in tinplate manufacture can be traced to people whose wealth came from international trade, including roles connected to the Royal Africa Company. Profits from tinplate were then reinvested into activities linked to Britain’s expanding global reach, including arms production during major eighteenth-century conflicts. Even the manufacturing process itself relied on imported materials such as palm oil from West Africa, while finished tinplate goods were used worldwide from domestic kitchens to long-distance shipping and overseas settlements. 

These insights matter because they help us see Kidwelly in a new light. Rather than telling a story that is only local, the museum has an opportunity to show how this community was connected to people, places and events across the world. This adds to our existing knowledge of workers, skills and community life, creating a fuller picture.

The project has also begun conversations with communities about how these stories should be interpreted in the future. Together, the research and partnership provide a strong foundation for reimagining the Kidwelly Tinplate Museum as a place where local heritage is understood as part of a wider, shared global history. 

This project was funded by the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Culture Fund (2025–26).