Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) is a small town on the island 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.
It 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 still a range of interesting 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).
The large car park to the north of the high street is the 'fair field'. This is a common piece of land set aside for the holding of an annual fair, which, to the locals, is called "Ffair Borth.". When 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 generally inclement weather to enjoy the traditional fair rides.
A television company has converted a disused garage into a fake row of shops in the centre of Menai Bridge as a film set for a children's programme Rownd a rownd shown on the Welsh-language channel S4C. They also film the show in the schools in the town, Ysgol y borth and Ysgol David Hughes. On 12 November 1918 Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst flew airship SSZ73 under the Menai Bridge following the armistice at the end of World War I.
Image. Smallest House - Menai Bridge
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.
Pictured below: Cadnant Dingle
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 chapels. 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.
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Monday, 15 December 2008
Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) is a small town on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai...
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