Menai Bridge
Encyclopedia
Menai Bridge is a small town and community
on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales
. It overlooks the Menai Strait
and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge
, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford
. It is the third largest settlement on the island, with a population of 3,850, and occupies the area of the former parish of Llandysiliogogo, whose former church continues in use as a mortuary chapel (see below).
It has existed as Porthaethwy for many centuries and it still has a house in current use which dates from the 17th century. It is likely that a community has existed at the location of Menai Bridge since Roman
times simply because this is the shortest crossing of the Menai Strait
. There is a range of buildings including the old court house, a number of old pubs and the buildings associated with the wood-yard (in the process of being converted to houses).
Sir Thomas Elmhirst
flew airship SSZ73 under the Menai Bridge following the armistice
at the end of World War I
.
At the eastern edge of the town is Cwm Cadnant Dingle which is now by-passed by a modern bridge constructed in the 1970s. The Afon Cadnant
drains into the Menai Strait at this point and this small estuary provides a natural haven for small boats crossing from the mainland. This was the location of the landing stage for the Bishops of Bangor
who had their residence at Glyn Garth on Anglesey
but whose cathedral
was in Bangor
on the mainland. Regrettably, the Bishop's palace has been destroyed in recent years and replaced by a block of flats.
There are a number of small islands in the Menai Strait some of which are connected to the town by causeways, including Ynys Faelog, Ynys Gaint
and Ynys Castell
east of the suspension bridge and Church Island
(Ynys Tysilio in Welsh
) west of the bridge. The Anglesey Coastal Path
passes along the waterfront.
Menai Bridge has a wide selection of churches and chapel
s including a Welsh Presbyterian
church and Catholic church. The town also has a primary school, Ysgol y Borth, and a large bilingual comprehensive school
– Ysgol David Hughes
.
Attractions in Menai Bridge include the 14th-century Church of St Tysilio, St Georges Pier and a butterfly house – Pili Palas.
. They also film the show in schools in the town, Ysgol y borth and Ysgol David Hughes
, and around the town itself.
piece of land set aside for the holding of an annual fair
, which is called Ffair Borth. The fair comes to Menai Bridge on 24 October every year, unless it falls on a Sunday, in which case it is either held on 23 October or 25 October. It takes over the fair field and most of the other roads and streets in the town making passage through the town very difficult. This is an ancient tradition which attracts people from across the island who ignore the usually poor weather to enjoy the traditional fair rides.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It overlooks the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
. It is the third largest settlement on the island, with a population of 3,850, and occupies the area of the former parish of Llandysiliogogo, whose former church continues in use as a mortuary chapel (see below).
It has existed as Porthaethwy for many centuries and it still has a house in current use which dates from the 17th century. It is likely that a community has existed at the location of Menai Bridge since Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times simply because this is the shortest crossing of the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
. There is a range of buildings including the old court house, a number of old pubs and the buildings associated with the wood-yard (in the process of being converted to houses).
History
On 12 November 1918 Air MarshalAir Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Thomas Elmhirst
Thomas Elmhirst
Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst KBE, CB, AFC, DL, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century and the first commander-in-chief of the newly independent Indian Air Force where he organised the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi following his assassination...
flew airship SSZ73 under the Menai Bridge following the armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
At the eastern edge of the town is Cwm Cadnant Dingle which is now by-passed by a modern bridge constructed in the 1970s. The Afon Cadnant
Afon Cadnant
The Afon Cadnant is a small river on Anglesey, North Wales draining to the Menai Strait about 1 km north-east of the Menai Suspension Bridge...
drains into the Menai Strait at this point and this small estuary provides a natural haven for small boats crossing from the mainland. This was the location of the landing stage for the Bishops of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
who had their residence at Glyn Garth on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
but whose cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
was in Bangor
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
on the mainland. Regrettably, the Bishop's palace has been destroyed in recent years and replaced by a block of flats.
There are a number of small islands in the Menai Strait some of which are connected to the town by causeways, including Ynys Faelog, Ynys Gaint
Ynys Gaint
Ynys Gaint is a small island in the Menai Strait connected to the town of Menai Bridge on Anglesey by a causeway and also a concrete bridge erected by Sir Guy Fison in the 1930s....
and Ynys Castell
Ynys Castell
Ynys Castell is a small island in the Menai Strait which separates Anglesey and mainland Wales. It is an extruding piece of Precambrian schist lying to one side of the Afon Cadnant estuary. It lies between Ynys y Bîg and Ynys Gaint. There is a causeway running to the island that is covered at high...
east of the suspension bridge and Church Island
Church Island
Church Island is a small island in the Menai Strait on the shores of Anglesey to which it is attached by a short causeway that is reachable only on foot off the Belgian Promenade. The whole of the island is taken up with St Tysilio's church, constructed in the 15th century, and the churchyard. ...
(Ynys Tysilio in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
) west of the bridge. The Anglesey Coastal Path
Anglesey Coastal Path
The Anglesey Coastal Path is a long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey in North Wales....
passes along the waterfront.
Menai Bridge has a wide selection of churches and chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s including a Welsh Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
church and Catholic church. The town also has a primary school, Ysgol y Borth, and a large bilingual comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
– Ysgol David Hughes
Ysgol David Hughes
Ysgol David Hughes is the largest Secondary School in Anglesey, Wales. It was founded in 1603, originally as a free Grammar School in Beaumaris. In 1963, with the local authority leading the way in introducing the comprehensive system, the school moved to Menai Bridge as a mixed comprehensive...
.
Attractions in Menai Bridge include the 14th-century Church of St Tysilio, St Georges Pier and a butterfly house – Pili Palas.
TV location
Welsh-language production company, Ffilmiau'r Nant, has converted a disused garage into a fake row of shops in the centre of Menai Bridge as a film set for a soap opera, Rownd a Rownd, shown on the Welsh-language channel S4CS4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
. They also film the show in schools in the town, Ysgol y borth and Ysgol David Hughes
Ysgol David Hughes
Ysgol David Hughes is the largest Secondary School in Anglesey, Wales. It was founded in 1603, originally as a free Grammar School in Beaumaris. In 1963, with the local authority leading the way in introducing the comprehensive system, the school moved to Menai Bridge as a mixed comprehensive...
, and around the town itself.
Fair field
The large car park to the north of the high street is the 'fair field'. This is a commonCommon land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
piece of land set aside for the holding of an annual fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
, which is called Ffair Borth. The fair comes to Menai Bridge on 24 October every year, unless it falls on a Sunday, in which case it is either held on 23 October or 25 October. It takes over the fair field and most of the other roads and streets in the town making passage through the town very difficult. This is an ancient tradition which attracts people from across the island who ignore the usually poor weather to enjoy the traditional fair rides.
External links
- Ysgol y Borth Website
- Menai Bridge Website Menai Bridge Town Partnership Website with details on the news, council, events and businesses of Menai Bridge
- Prosiect Menai A community celebrating the two bridges and the town of Menai Bridge
- Photos of Menai Bridge and the surrounding area on Geograph